The Seibu Project
by Zelia Theb
Summary: Conspiracy: a seemingly abandoned military facility becomes the site of the boys' latest case. If only they could contain their fear during the investigation, then perhaps they'd make it out alive. [Mystery][ShounenAi]
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**About this story:** The setting and overall basis for this story stems from claims of supernatural events that occurred around the Montauk Project/Philadelphia project. Placing either into a search engine will most likely bring up a bunch of conspiracy theory websites, but you might be able to find just as much information on Wikipedia.

The gist of the supernatural claims is this: the U.S. Military was supposedly delving into the idea of time travel and invisibility. They were also supposedly using psychics for another project, and one of these projects went wrong. The psychic was said to have manifested a demon using whatever technology it was that they were using. This demon is said to have been spotted around Montauk, New York. There is apparently a picture out there somewhere (I have never been able to find it).

It is up to you to decide whether or not these claims are true or not. I simply find the idea fitting for the YYH universe.

As far as the boys go, I will explain their various relationships within the story. There will be shounen-ai, but between which characters will remain a mystery to you all. Also, do not be scared by the setting. There are no magical highschools with special superhuman girls. The setting is what it is due to the nature of the case, not because I want to put the boys into a world that I feel more comfortable with. To be honest, leaving them in Japan is ten times easier for me to write than to throw him into the depths of an abandoned military base.

**About the title:** _Seibu_ is a Japanese term meaning "Western Military" (Literally, _sei_- west, Spain; _bu-_ warrior, military, chivalry, arms). I only use Japanese in my titles, not in my stories.

**Warnings:** Violence, blood, gore, scary things.

_**This story was updated 10/4/2008**_

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

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**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

It started off with the simple ringing of my communicator. My boss, the Prince of the Spirit World Koenma, told me to round up the other members of what had become the "Spirit Detective Team." Kazuma Kuwabara, the tall orange-haired guy I go to school with; Kurama, the redhead whiz-kid that was actually a conglomerate of a demon and teenaged boy; and Hiei, the shortest of us. He was actually the hardest to find, mostly because he's got a whole city to roam around in, and doesn't like to be bothered.

Eventually we had gathered in Kuwabara's bedroom, mostly because his sister didn't really care and wouldn't ask any questions as to why we were there. It was then that Botan showed up, dressed as a human, and carrying her detective-assisting silver briefcase. I remember it clearly; the case opened up into some sort of portable computer with a direct link to Koenma's office. Hiei was pretty miffed because he had to move from his window seat to the bed like the rest of us to see.

Koenma's little toddler face materialized on the screen, his hands folded and blue pacifier moving slowly in and out from his mouth. The look in his eyes was unmistakable; serious to a point that it actually scared me. I literally thought that maybe Toguro had come back to life or something, because that look was unlike any other I have ever seen from him. I knew before he had even said a word that we were all in for something unique and incredible. And when he finally did speak, it was confirmed.

"There is a disturbance that we need all four of you to investigate," he started. "We've been monitoring the area since the time of first World War. It's actually out of your jurisdiction, Yusuke, but we need you there because your team is unlike any of the others."

At first I was taken aback. Out of my jurisdiction? The others? I came to find out through Botan that although my cases have been serious and world-threatening, that I was not the only Spirit Detective. I just happened to be the top one, which I found kinda weird since I'm just a kid. Apparently due to my special case, what with having died and been brought back to life and all, that I am the only one of the current Detectives to have had experiences with the other two realms. The other detectives believe that they are working for humans, since Koenma's employees go undercover and all that jazz. Sometimes they have psychic abilities, and sometimes they just have some sort of unhealthy addiction to uncover the paranormal.

Koenma continued after Botan's explanation, and said, "The exact location of this disturbance is on a foreign military base. Throughout the years, the other detectives have reported sightings of a demon, supplying with it the rumors that the demon was manifested out of the mind of a powerful psychic using advanced military technology. According to human reports and the accounts of the detectives, the demon wreaked havoc upon the military facility, and was eventually contained and killed before the base activities were shut down." There were already inconsistencies in Koenma's briefing, so I called him on it.

"Didn't you just say that there were sightings?" I asked him. I figured that I might as well prod him on them now, rather than question them while said demon is handing my ass to me.

"That's exactly it, Yusuke," he answered, tones of uncertainty and a general lack of knowledge weaving through his voice. "If the creature no longer exists, how can people still see it? Why have all the detectives disappeared? And why does this military insist on keeping intruders out of the since abandoned base, which is under the guise of a national park? It doesn't make sense, and due to the human nature of it all, picking the demon up on our radar is impossible. We haven't even had reports of death on the base since the birth of the mysterious being. I've sent guides there, but they could not even get a read on wandering spirits. It's mind boggling." Koenma had effectively sent the message that this was some sort of conspiracy.

"But this is all hearsay, isn't it?" Kurama questioned him. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was trying to sort through instances in his past that could shed some light on the case.

"Yes, on the personal accounts of the humans involved. No, based on the fact that here at Spirit World we can't even detect what's going on, which sends up a red flag saying that _something_ is going on." And here I thought that Spirit World knew everything, and now that whole mind-set had been shattered. My outlook on my role in this detective business changed; I wasn't invincible, and I might not be able to be saved if a mission goes wrong. I felt like I had signed on the dotted line of a blank contract. My life was not the character of a hero in some wacky fairytale.

"Hn," Hiei huffed, something we all expected from him, "so what is it that you'd like us to do? Kill this demon? Rescue the humans that were stupid enough to venture into this facility? Or are you trying to get rid of the four of us in one fell swoop?" The fire-demon was always good for getting straight to the point, and his questions were all things that the rest of us wanted to ask. It displayed the fear that had already settled upon us as a group; the question of whether or not we would return was always there when it came to cases, but this particular one made us feel like we were going to be sucked into a vortex of nothingness.

Koenma spoke up once again to ease our minds, and complete our briefing. He replied, "The first two, Hiei. Dispatch of the creature or creatures, rescue any captured humans, and bring back any evidence you can: documents, photos, anything. Botan will escort the four of you to my office, where I will supply the four of you with the necessary equipment for this case. At this point, I'll introduce you to the guide that has jurisdiction over the locale that the base is located in, and he will escort the four of you to the outskirts of the base. It's far easier and much cheaper than sending you on an airplane overseas. Plus, this way you won't be tempted to sightsee in the case's native country." I'll have to say, I was pretty upset and disappointed at that fact. So far I had only been used to cases within Japan, and the thought of being somewhere that I didn't understand altogether excited _and_ frightened me. I'd rather have gotten accustomed to the culture through normal tourism means, rather than being tossed into the middle of a hostile area and told to fend for myself.

"Is there a sufficient amount of flora in the area?" Kurama asked. See, his powers are pretty awesome, but one that he seems to rely on a lot is his knowledge of biology when it comes to plants and the like. He uses his energy to cause the plants to be not only under his control, but grow unnaturally. If this place was going to be in a desert, the guy was probably going to have to collect his fair share of seeds and roots in Japan while he could.

But Koenma informed us that the area was actually rich in vegetation. Through careful questions about the environment, Kurama came to the conclusion that we were destined for somewhere in North America, whether it be the States or Canada. Kuwabara got real excited, I guess his favorite band is from America, but unfortunately for all of us, this wasn't going to be the vacation of our lifetime. I guess it was better off, though. Kuwabara and I both suck in our English classes, and Kurama really only knows what he's learned from his lessons. I kind of thought that maybe demons would have some infinite knowledge of all languages, and kind of took it for granted that Hiei spoke Japanese. To this day I don't really understand, but I guess that Demon World is just like Earth. and maybe the four of us had only really delved into the demons that came from some sort of parallel Japan.

And like that, the transmission was over. Botan said that she'd take care of our family and school affairs for us, although she made no mention of doing our homework, which kinda sucked. Soon after, we found ourselves in the Spirit World palace, facing the baby himself. He directed our attention to a large monitor in his office, where he displayed the only two existing photographs of the demon, and several others depicting the outer layout of the base. He couldn't confirm whether or not the pictures were clever hoaxes or genuine, but either way, we had some sort of fuzzy idea as to what the thing was gonna look like _if_ it was even alive.

Each of us were equipped with camouflage uniforms, similar to what one'd see in an army movie. Head to toe in heavy olive and black drab; it was one hell of a sight. There were utility pockets everywhere, even the sides of our black boots had tiny compartments on them. Hiei was given the proper belt to holster his katana at his side, and that was quite a luxury, at least for the rest of us who never really knew how the guy carried his sword around with him. Koenma did not stop there, no. We were handed new communicators, ones that Koenma said were specially designed for this mission, and he had hoped would work inside of the facility. They were a bit smaller than our usual one, probably to keep up what was starting to become our stealth aspect of the mission, and doubled as cameras, said to hold an infinite amount of pictures. The technician who designed them kept in mind the fact that we _might_ not return alive, and the toddler mentioned that if the direct link to Spirit World worked in the base, that the pictures would also be sent straight to his office computers. It was a brutal reminder of our mortality.

The topper to this all was the handing out of weapons. We were given six-inch blades. Knives, machetes, whatever they were, it was freaky. I began wondering what kind of combat we were in for, and if we would be up against trained agents of the military. Would my spirit gun and street fighting skills be enough? Sure, Hiei would probably be able to dispatch of them, but who knew what kind of enemies we would be up against? And then, despite all of the thoughts, tension, and trembling of our group, Koenma casually permitted us to do the unspeakable.

"Any hostile living personnel are _military_ personnel. On-duty, they can engage in combat with you. I guess what I'm saying, is that on this mission, you have what is commonly referred to as a license to kill." Kuwabara shook his head immediately, while on the other hand, a smirk crossed Hiei's lips. None of us really fancied the idea of taking human life, and even though it was allowed in this instance, only Hiei really ever considered going through with it. Again, we found ourselves drowning in fear. For the Prince of Spirit World to allow use the luxury of sin-less killing, what did that mean? Was it a personal test to see if those who died in that area really crossed over? Or was it because he believed that our only method of survival would be to toss all doubt about murder out the window? Koenma was certainly a twisted being.

However, the Prince would have none of us thinking about his statement for too long. Immediately after he called in the guide in charge of whatever section of North America we were going to. He didn't even bother formally introducing us, but we caught that the guy's name was Jack. That language barrier thing I mentioned earlier? I guess it didn't apply to guides or Koenma, though we could tell that the guy had a thick American accent on him. Soon after we said our farewells to Botan and the kid, we were whisked away and dropped in the middle of a forest. It was like time had flip-flopped, though that wasn't much of a surprise, because Kurama explained that we were over twelve hours away in terms of time-zones.

Immediately, a dialogue was open. Kurama had already started collecting pieces of the surrounding plant life, and Kuwabara had his camera ready. Hiei was unusually calm and collected, despite the weight of aura which enveloped us. Cautiously, we began moving, taking care not to snap any of the larger twigs and make too much noise. Although the fact that we were whispering to each other didn't help much.

"License to kill? Doesn't even seem like there's any humans around _to_ kill," Kuwabara noted.

"But there _are_ humans around," Hiei immediately stated, making sure that we all knew not to go by just what we immediately saw. Kurama agreed with him, I figured that it was a combination of his fox nose mixed with the power of Hiei's Jagan Eye.

My own awareness was at its peak; I'll admit, I was more paranoid than I ever remember being. I guess we hadn't been dropped far from the south gate, because immediately the four of us had our gazes on a rusted entrance that we recognized from Koenma's photographs.

"Let's just hop over and get this over with." Anxiety crept over my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. We stood at the foot of the gate, vulnerable and in plain sight, inspecting the thick metal bars, and noting the way that the barbed wire crawled along the top of the fencing. It was high, though we could easily jump over it.

Kurama read a sign posted across the bars, characters which were familiar to me, but I'll have to say that putting them together was a task in itself. He warned, "The sign simply says not to trespass under penalty of law. It's written in English."

"Hn, what do I care?" Hiei remarked, quickly leaping up and over the fence like it was but a pebble. Kurama followed, as did I, leaving Kuwabara on the other side.

"Urameshi, I'd do a pole vaulty thing but I don't want my Spirit Sword to light up where we are!" The raven-haired demon at my side frowned momentarily before drawing his sword and cutting the rusted lock on the gates. He even went to the length of kicking the squeaky thing open for the guy, even though normally he would have scoffed at how pathetic he was. Minor pieces of metal flaked off of the swinging bar door as he walked through.

"Well," I joked, "either there aren't any humans inside this joint, or they don't go through this gate, so I think we're pretty safe for now."

"A logical deduction on your part, Detective," Hiei said, unwrapping the ward on his Jagan, "and so far it seems that you're right."

We walked on in silence, mostly because the trees began thinning out like balding hair. We could see buildings in the distance, and one of them supported a worn out satellite dish. The region was not level; there were hills and odd mounds of just plain dirt here and there. At one vantage point we could see just about the whole damn place, even though behemoth pines hid the road occasionally. What was important was that we were able to associate where we were with what we've seen from the pictures. And from that, we found the entrance that Koenma had instructed us to investigate first, one single set of brown doors set into the side of a hill.

And suddenly, that knife at my side made me feel that much more secure.

_To Be Continued…_

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Inspiration for the improvement to my writing style goes to Prosopopeia (as her work Intangible is a beautiful display of character narration in the past-tense), and more recently Fuzzy Eared, whose incredible talent for description I could never hold a candle to, but I would love to use this fic as a way to try! Thank you !!

-Zelia


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**Author's Note:** Don't go jumping to any conclusions with regards to the shounen-ai aspect. I can assure you, that while you can compare my track record with "hints" in the chapter; do not overlook everything. There are hints at just about every combination of the boys. Muahaha.

To answer some concerns in reviews…well…

It was brought up that it was obvious Yusuke had was still alive, because he is telling the story in past tense. Allow me to open up a few options to consider; Is he alive or dead during narration? Is he talking to someone? Is it possible that he is the only member left alive? Did he pull the old "I'm recyclable" trick and come back to life?

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

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**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

I remember thinking that maybe green and black was not the greatest color of choice, and that perhaps bringing along a flashlight would have been a smart thing to do. We weren't entirely sure of exactly where we were going, or how long we had been in that long corridor. All we knew was that it was dark, and the walls were cold.

"Stop," I whispered to everyone, a plan having formulated in my head, "I know that I told Kuwabara earlier not to use his Spirit Sword as a light source, but I don't think we really have a choice."

"Yusuke's right," Kurama agreed. "I've noticed that there are pipes running along the wall. I've been using my hand to follow them. Perhaps we could locate some sort of power source soon."

"What about the guys in here?" my classmate asked. True, he had a point, but I'd rather have a bunch of guys know that we were here and be able to fight them at full power than not. I mean, at Genkai's weird little competition, it was really hard to fight in the dark. I wasn't exactly in the right mindset to rely on my other senses, and I don't think that he was either. But still, he brought up a good point.

"There _is_ a presence," Hiei stated stoically. "Several, actually. But there is no need for us to worry, because none of them are human, at least not living." For some reason, one that I still don't understand, we suddenly shifted as close as we could to Kurama. Maybe it was that we wanted him to lead us, for him to use the pipes he had been following as a guide. Or maybe it was because Hiei had never mentioned _where_ that presence was, and that he stepped back just as we did.

"So…" I trailed off, "lead the way, man." I felt his long hair move as he nodded. Kuwabara produced his spirit sword, leaving it small and nothing more than a nub. It eased our minds when we saw nothing, at least as far as other entities went.

The amber glow of the sword lit up a dull seven-foot radius around us. Pipes and wires ran along the ceiling as well as the wall we following, and the dull gray concrete encased us; the hall had decreased in girth somewhere along the way. Occasionally we'd see water spots and rust formations trailing down the left wall, a sign that we were still underground. After what seemed like fifteen minutes of sight-seeing in hallway Hell, we came upon a door.

Kurama gripped the metal handle tightly, studying the door and waiting for some sort of cue to enter. There was even more English text plastered across the door, faded over time, with the paint peeling off.

"It says, 'Generator'," Kurama read to us. "Perhaps this is why the wires turned into the walls here."

"That's kinda weird…no security locks?" Kuwabara pondered vocally.

"Well, in the event of a power-outage, electrical security locks would not function, which would disallow access to manually recover power," Kurama explained. It made sense, but then again, it didn't. Why would an unlocked door, to the _power_ of the place no less, be the first stop in the corridor? Of course, sometimes you see external power sheds, or maybe that's all this hallway was. Power. Maybe we had been moving in the wrong direction.

"Hn. A lock is not necessary when there are two gun barracks guarding this base," Hiei spoke. It really made more sense, the more he went on. "And don't you think that maybe the reason the doors we entered were camouflaged and not so visible is because we entered through the exit?" His eyes rolled, obviously annoyed that he had to speak as much as he did, but that was Hiei. He always had a way of giving us a kick in the butt when we needed it.

"Either way, if we want to see, we need to get that door open," I ended. Kurama immediately followed my words by revealing the contents of the room to us, which consisted of a large and dusty machine, surrounded by posted threats of electrocution and other international signs of warning. We were immediately drawn to a metal box on the far wall, a fuse cabinet jutting out from the concrete. Once again, we left the deciphering up to Kurama, and after a moment of reading and sudden switch flicking, the generator came to life. Despite the fact that we expected it to start up, we still jumped almost to the ceiling. We were just that scared.

"It appears that there is a sector assigned to each switch. Unfortunately…" Hearing Kurama say unfortunately at a time like this wasn't exactly what the rest of us were hoping for, but we should have really listened to him entirely before jumping to our own personal conclusions. "I can't decipher the meaning of some words, even though I can read them."

"So what you're saying is that you could either power all facilities connected to that switchboard…" I began, allowing Hiei to finish the statement.

"Alerting any enemies in other buildings." He let out a 'tch', and added, "We are under no obligation to use stealth. We've just been choosing to for fear of what may find us. I say, light the whole damn place on fire and let them come to us." Now that was something that had been waiting to hear. There was really no logical point as to why we were being sneaky, other than to scare the crap out of ourselves. We already had deduced that no humans were around, at least not inside the building, so why be all secretive? Would it really be so bad if we got caught by humans? Not really, because Koenma would be able to get us out of that mess. The four of us were thinking on the same wavelength, because Kuwabara had begun taking pictures as Kurama turned the entire switchboard in the cabinet on. Hiei took the initiative to see if Koenma could, in fact, contact us, and asked a seemingly stale screen if he was receiving any of the 'oaf's' pictures.

"Yes," Koenma's voice answered, lifting another weight off of our shoulders. "A power generator? Good work, even though it seems that you'll be drawing attention."

"He's right!" Kurama gasped, and not sarcastically either. It was the kind of gesture he made when he had solved his opponents next four or so moves. A chess game materialized for all of us; sure we could blow the whole damn place up, but if we stayed there…

"If you four intend on waiting in that room for some sort of ambush," the toddler relayed Kurama's thoughts for us, "you're wasting valuable time, and any living prisoners or documents may be eliminated. On the other hand, now that they know the power is on…"

"They will come here first to look for us, and possibly shut the power off on us once we are deeper inside." Again, Hiei came through with the blunt smack in the face. "That gives them the upper hand either way."

"So what you're saying," I told Koenma through Hiei's communicator. "Is that we better act fast and get as much done as possible before they get here."

"Right."

Stealth may have been the better option, and we had just blown our chances of maintaining any sort of cover. If in fact there were any humans elsewhere on the base, and they detected our presence…well, we were now being hunted. Being hunted isn't any sort of trip, either. It's not like a battle or a street fight, where you get to know and face your opponent. No, the hunter does not want to be seen; they want to kill their prey instantly, that is their only objective. Has anyone ever gone deer hunting and said, "Hey, Misses Doe, how about we tango hoof to fist before I blow your brains out?" ? No. Dread returned to us faster than lightning could strike.

"So maybe I should keep takin' pictures, huh? That way we can know our way around if we get lost or forget or somethin'" Kuwabara had suggested. Koenma commended him for that before urging us to continue our mission and ending the conversation.

"Outside or deeper?" I asked my team. Outside we could have the United States military awaiting us with rifles and handcuffs, and have a chance of escape, but deeper we might be able to meet up with them and stage some sort of ambush, even with the risk of being trapped.

It must have been one of those rhetorical questions. Hiei snickered and exited, turning towards the latter of my announced options in the hallway. We followed unreluctantly; if we wanted to survive we had to cooperate and stick together. So of course, after several moments of time _and_ corner turns, we came upon an open lobby like area. I guess you could say it was a central meeting center, and at least three other hallways aside from the one we were in converged with it.

The most peculiar part about this was the burned furniture against the wall, and what looked like a damaged control console. It looked like someone had come through and thrown everything against the walls, and then torched the place with a flamethrower. Ash and dust covered the floor from the wreck. One would think that maybe _that_ would be enough to freak us out, but it wasn't.

"Human blood, can't you smell it?" Kurama stated. The four us meandered into the center of the mess, back to back in a circle. The freaking out had commenced.

"Yes, it's old, and some much older than others," the shortest demon concurred. At first I had thought that maybe it was just some more of the ever so popular rust stains found in the place, but the dried up splatter on the ceiling almost matched Hiei's eyes. The crimson was no where near as dull as the rest of blemishes, but wasn't fresh either.

"I feel like I'm a crime scene photographer…" Kuwabara uttered. After his final picture of the room, he dropped the device, and went flying spine first into a charcoal chair.

"Kuwabara!" I yelled, distraught. The guy grabbed at his neck, trying to pull away at an unseen force strangling him from behind. When I moved to help him, the hairs on the back of my neck stood. It felt like spiders crawling down my back, pulling my nerves out with their hooked feet, straight through the pores on on my skin. In actuality, it was another poltergeist taking me into the same stranglehold.

Lights made no difference right now. I couldn't see anything, I only knew what I felt. A thick arm surrounded by dense fabric was crushing against the bone in my neck. I felt like I would expunge my voice box through my mouth at any moment. I was captured; my back was clearly against a muscular human chest, and I could even sense it rising and falling with each breath I heard in my ear.

I watched the floor as much as I could; straining my eyes from their tilted position. I saw footsteps cross the floor, as did Hiei and Kurama. There were at least three spirits in the room, and two of them were occupied.

Hiei dodged the third one, probably able to tell its attack by its footwork, and called out, "Show yourself!"

I had heard rumors that simply acknowledging a ghost's existence allowed one to command them to leave or appear. In this case it happened to be true, because that bulky arm was now blocking my vision. We were faced with transparent spirits of men, dressed in shredded uniforms and berets, with artillery at their waists and slung across their backs. The third stopped momentarily, outstretching an arm and then attempted to catch both Hiei and Kurama, who were too fast and dodged the grabs easily.

It was then that they began to talk to us. Haunting whispers reverberated in our heads, bouncing off the walls and melding together into a dissonant chorus. It was deafening; the threatened groans and barely understandable broken English was taunting us, but not one of us could decipher it. Hiei and Kurama were too busy dodging the third specter to save myself or Kuwabara. Incinerated powder and dirt saturated our lungs, having been kicked up from our struggles. I thought that I was going to die.

I could no longer hear the screams of my friend. The breaths of my demon allies, and the sound of scurrying feet was gone. The warnings wailed on in my head, and I became so disoriented and distracted that I was unaware of the fact that I myself was screaming in pain. Who would have thought that an ethereal combat knife could have pierced through my skin and deep into my right side? I certainly didn't; after all, when I was dead, I could float through just about anything.

The dagger…it dug deeper, and deeper, twisting and taunting my friends to rescue me and become vulnerable themselves. What I didn't know was that I eventually lost consciousness. I _thought_ that I was awake. I thought that maybe I died for good this time, and that was the reason that the voices of the men no longer pervaded me. It wasn't until I woke up a bloody mess in Kurama's arms that I discovered I was still alive.

My side ached. It didn't help that I was being carried by someone who was running rather fast. I was surprised to hear that Hiei didn't carry on ahead, but instead was running behind Kuwabara.

I managed to mumble, "Where are we?" My eyes burned; the stale air felt like acid blowing into my face. We were moving deeper, but confirming that was something I needed to know, a comfort that was necessary for me start overcoming the throbbing of my wound.

No one answered.

"Turn right," Hiei ordered from behind us. My sensory perception became more intense with my pain, and I knew that the unblinking eye of Jagan was open, leading us away from whatever danger was pursuing us.

"Stop." The command was a relief. My ears listened to my friends huddle closely, and suddenly small hands were escorting me into their lap. It was Hiei. I thought to myself, was I really that injured? I felt like I was being prepared for surgery. He held me down at my shoulders, pressing the back of my head into the crevice of his legs. I heard him utter to Kuwabara to break the surrounding lights, thus concealing us. Soon after, he had lit up his Spirit Sword like a flashlight to guide Kurama, who was going to attempt to wrap my wound.

I cringed; his hands were warm, but whatever sort of plant he was using stung like a bitch. Frankly, I was a bit thankful for my injury. I felt my old emotions coming back, and the urge to kick some serious ass was rising.

Kurama moved fast. After wincing my eyes for a fourth time from the procedure, I looked up to Hiei, surprised to see concern in his eyes, and asked, "What happened back there?"

He blinked so slowly, hiding his thoughts from me, before answering with, "You were stabbed by one of them. After that, Kurama kept the three of them distracted while the lump and I used our powers to dispatch them. It seems that ordinary weapons do not work; only energy produced attacks took care of them. Even so…I don't believe that they were liberated, only temporarily subdued." What kind of crap is that? We can't stab them but they can stab us? Such is the irony of being Yusuke Urameshi.

"So, ugh," I paused for obvious reasons. "Why were we running? I heard that ghosts tend to stay pretty stationary and don't like to travel too far from where ever their spirit is attached." The fox was good; before I had even finished my statement he had successfully dressed my wound. The anesthetics of his flora were already starting to kick in, and he informed me that there would be no side effects.

"You're right, Detective," Hiei said as he released my shoulders. "That's not why we were running. A living aura produced a high pitched screech from one of the other hallways, and the three of us heard the footsteps…"

"And started runnin'," Kuwabara interrupted, much to the disgust of our demon friend. I stood to my feet with the help of Kurama, and listened as Kuwabara made his apologies.

"I'm sorry, Urameshi. Ya wouldn't have been caught if I had been able to warn ya about the one behind you…as soon as I was hit I could see them, I just…I guess I didn't react quick enough."

"That's fine, man," I assured him. "I can stand, right? Don't worry, I ain't plannin' on kicking the bucket again so soon."

"You damn well better not Urameshi! Not until I get to kick your ass fair and square!"

It felt _normal_ to hear that. This mission was just a roller coaster ride, though. We couldn't try to fool ourselves with our normal squabbling. We couldn't lighten the mood. The only thing we _had_ to do was figure out how to _not_ kick into survival mode. Because the strong live, and the weak die. It's basic Darwinism; if we want to survive, we will have to kill. I for one, knew that I was not ready to admit I was a monster. The fate of the world wasn't on our hands, hell, even our loved ones lives weren't at stake.

A revelation dawned on me; we were soldiers. Pawns in a chess game. Doing the dirty work, and risking our lives for nothing, no dignity, no honor, nothing. I never wanted to punch Koenma harder in my life _or_ death.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

With Yusuke wounded and sedated, and the boys lost deep in the underground hallways of the base, what's going to happen next? Just wait, because I can assure you that it will be far from predictable.


	3. 3

Pairings are revealed. So is part of the conspiracy. But, because this is a _suspense_ fic, I have every intention of keeping even more pairings and conspiracies secret until the next chapter as well. Tee hee.

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

The throbbing pain in my side had subsided. Kurama insisted that I used him as a crutch, much to my own protests, but I guess it wasn't really time to act like a big man, when it was obvious I was just a weak boy with absolutely no military training and a gigantic stab wound in my side.

We had gone back to taking pictures of our voyage into the depths of the base. I stress the word deep, because not only had we descended a few stair cases here and there, but the lights themselves acted as if they were being drained of their luminosity. On one rather short lived floor, we had even come upon the classic flickering bulb, swaying to and fro like a skull detached from its body and hanging by its spinal cord.

The air was more putrid than ever. It was clear to us that this part of the facility had not been seen by humans in years, possibly decades. Webs of dust and silk filled whatever corners they could, harboring the crusted exoskeletons of insects and spiders. Kuwabara found himself jealous of Hiei, because he was tired of getting sticky dead bugs in his face.

I heard Kurama's voice whisper next to me, "It's rather unusual that a pathway this useless would exist in this sort of establishment." He was right. Ever since I started walking again, we hadn't come across a single door, hatchway, or even fork in the road. Either this place was designed by an extremely sadistic five year old, it was done purposely to trap intruders, or worse, deter whatever was at the end of our tunnel from escaping.

"Guys, I'm not getting a very good vibe from this place." Kuwabara, coming through with one of his warnings. One would suggest that he pull his head out of the clouds and realize that the whole time we'd been there it was no cakewalk. But…

"I just got some sorta vision," he continued, ducking here and there to avoid more cobwebs. "There was this guy…I dunno, strapped into this chair. At first he was sleeping, being studied by a bunch of…I think…scientists? And then he was screaming…and then, that was it."

"Foreboding," Hiei muttered. His footsteps slowed to a sudden stop, their delayed echo reminding us of just how damn long the hallway was. He stared blankly ahead, and said nothing more than, "Kurama."

"Yes, unusual indeed Hiei," he replied. It took me a few seconds to get it, and Kuwabara another few after that. The cobwebs had gone from old, to new. With fresh spiders, might I add.

"What the _hell_ are they eating to survive?" wondered Hiei for all of us.

"Beats me. Maybe we're close to an exit or something." My friend turned to me, looking for an answer. "Whaddya think, Urameshi?"

"Let's keep moving," I ordered them, hoping that perhaps we could end our boring walk and find some sort of answer to our living spider question. I faltered in Kurama's arms; where had my balance gone? He caught me before I even came close to hitting the ground. The anesthesia was overwhelming. I felt no pain, and could barely feel his hands.

"What the hell did you give him, fox?" I heard Hiei scorn at my left. We continued walking as Kurama tried to explain exactly what it was that I was drugged with. Hiei had a right to be concerned; the hour delay in the strong effect of the painkiller was unorthodox to say the least.

"I'm sorry, Yusuke," he whispered dejectedly. "It was the only one I had prepared…" Hiei let out a grunt then, I could swear that he was even more angry about it than anyone else, even though it was _me_ who was drugged up and unable to walk straight. After some back and forth bantering, I found out that Kurama had given me Demon World's version of morphine. He even admitted that he might have messed up the dosage, and he sounded so _hurt_ that he had made such a mistake. Personally, I was a bit pissed that I still needed to be babied and couldn't walk on my own, but not feeling any pain was bliss. Still, feeling my world swell around me when only moments ago everything was clear made my brain dizzy.

"I could give him something to counteract it, at least enough so…"

"Shut up fox. Your idiocy is only slowing us down. Just do it now before we split up." I remember looking up then. Split up? We finally found a junction, and Hiei was right; splitting up was going to be necessary. That was apparent when Kurama read the signs for us once more.

"Archive, left, and laboratory, right." He passed me on to Hiei, as if to challenge the demon to do better than he was doing. He also dropped crushed leaves, looking more like the ingredients to tea than a pain-_giving_ drug, into the guy's hand, and instructed, "Just put this on the wound. It'll enter his bloodstream painlessly, and give him the ability to focus and walk. It acts fast, but then he will be able to feel a slight ache in his injury, _if that's what you want_."

Hiei set me down then, obviously disturbed by Kurama's insinuation. Kuwabara and I said nothing, we were bystanders as Kurama suggested that he and my classmate head toward the lab, while Hiei and I scour the archive. If we found anything, we were to come back to this exact point, and _not_ travel in deeper.

With our plan laid out, our two bright haired allies departed with us. I didn't much like it, nor did I appreciate the pain that had set inside of me once Hiei had followed Kurama's instructions. I writhed a bit, trying to adjust to it again, and wondering why Hiei hadn't pressed me to hurry up and deal with it. Instead, once the footsteps of our companions faded, he actually loaned a hand for me to brace myself on when I stood.

"They're numerous, but weak," he stated as we walked, the anger induced from Kurama leaving his voice. "I could handle them easily if you want to search for Koenma's documents." _If_…normally I would have expected Hiei to just tell me what I was going to do, instead of ask.

"Or vice versa," I suggested with a grin. "You're so fast that you'd be able to snag anything and still have time left to fight. We'll both get some action that way, right?" I flashed him the Urameshi charm, which had no effect on him anyway, but I felt like I had to show him that I was okay. I recall sensing worry from him.

"Indeed, Detective."

We heard nothing for the next four minutes. The webs returned to housing dust and dead, and the stench of wood rot was prominent. Opening a door, we came upon the archive. It was littered with stacks of folders and documents, strewn across the floor in some instances, but for the most part they were guarding the top of desks. Disregarding the dust, it truly looked like someone was constantly cleaning up the mess of papers; the organization seemed very out of place.

"Prepare yourself, Yusuke," my ally warned. I knew that I had to; however, not only could I not _see_ anything, this time I couldn't even feel it. Hiei must have understood this, and added, "I'll reveal them with the Jagan." I studied the area before us, waiting for something to materialize in front of my eyes. In my peripheral I caught sight of the implanted eye exuding a green aura, and as the glow faded out, our enemies faded in.

Only two, though. One was the spirit of an Asian man, dressed in some sort of uniform which appeared to be a cross between a doctor and a soldier. The other man had dark skin. I assumed that maybe he was one of those Native Americans that Keiko told me about, and he was dressed nearly the same as the commandos that had attacked us earlier. They were apprehensive, making no move to attack but ready to at any instant.

I felt it; the invisible insects grooming my body hair, the brittleness in the air, and my spirit energy being tapped. It wasn't like I was going to run out, no. I'd seen something once on TV back before I was a Spirit Detective. It stated that in order for ghosts to function, they have to draw off of the psychic energy around them to exist, but not necessarily feed upon it. Obviously, from the look of the papers in the room, there _was_ something else around for them to exist. But for them to do what they did next, yes, that was definitely due to our presence.

"You're not authorized to be here," the scientist said. He said it in such a way that I could understand it. He was _Japanese_. His voice commanded not only our attention, but seemed to cue the dust at his feet to swirl around him tornadically, also giving the lights a strobing effect.

"Hn," remarked Hiei arrogantly. "Looks like we got lucky, Yusuke. He'll actually be able to understand what we say as we erase his existence." The soldier immediately shifted into an attack stance; it was like they didn't know that they were dead. The funny part? Not once had we seen a skeleton.

The soldier went at ease, and the other poltergeist began communicating with us again, and stated, "I cannot die. I am in the center of a time vortex. I cannot die. You're not authorized to be here."

"Tch." I agreed with Hiei's remark wholeheartedly; I wanted the guy to either explain what was going on at this hellishly haunted place, or get out of our damn way. But he insisted on repetition. I found myself dizzied just as I was earlier.

_"I cannot die. I am in the center of a time vortex."_

Resonating between my temples, suffocating me.

_"I cannot die. You're not authorized to be here."_

And then I heard it, it was loud, deafening, clear, frightening…

_"I CANNOT DIE. YOU WILL DIE. I CANNOT DIE. YOU WILL DIE. YOU'RE NOT AUTHORIZED TO BE HERE."_

I fell to my knees instantly, forced down against my will, unable to comprehend the actions taking place. I could not focus on my location, Hiei, or our opponents. My eyes were shut so tightly that the black faded into a dull yet neon rouge, perhaps strained so much that they had become bloodshot. I was lifted again, still in my trance-like state of misery and vertigo, and back into that military grip.

Overcoming my vulnerability, I had grown the courage to open my eyes, which I did slowly but surely. It was like my eyes controlled my eardrums; I could now hear everything just as if it were normal, no ghastly powers attached. The Japanese man was speaking with Hiei, an air of power over him. He knew that Hiei could probably kill him instantly, and he also knew that Hiei was _not_ human. But still, a smirk rested upon his face, which was opaque now instead of transparent, just as my captor was, like he knew something the rest of the room did not.

"It intrigues me…" the man stated. "Until now I had no knowledge of true alternate planes of existence. I had thought that the underworld was merely a myth, and that demons were conceived from the brains of humans. In fact, I was one who _had_ created a demon just by imagining it, yet before me I see one that is able to exist without being attached to his own world. It's incredible."

"No one cares for your scientific nonsense. You'll have but one moment to release the detective." Hiei's warning was stern; serious. I continued to concentrate on their conversation, despite the fact that I had just discovered my wound had burst open during my hypnotic state, leaving warm trails of blood down my side.

"I am a psychic, demon. Powerful, at that. I do not exist in this time, and you cannot kill me. You won't even try until I release the boy. Funny…"

"You're sadistic!" I yelled out, only to have a large callused hand clasp my mouth shut. It smelled of gunpowder and machinery.

"You're guessing. You're no psychic," Hiei retorted caustically.

"It is you who is mistaken, demon," the Asian taunted. I had known that he was hiding something, aside from the big secret of the base, and it was then that I found out. "I can feel your emotions, your aura…I can feel it all. You simply won't try to attack me because you fear that I will harm him."

"Idiot. Let's say that I don't hope, for your sake, that you're trying to call my bluff."

"What bluff? Have you not become attached to this boy? Do you not have feelings for him?"

* * *

"That is none of your concern," he warned it. "What you should be worried about now is your very existence." It was kinda weird, to hear that Kurama liked one of his buddies. I mean, I guess he's pretty girly and all, but I never really expected that him being a demon and all that he would be in love with one of us, especially a dude. I never knew any dudes that liked dudes, well I guess I do now, but before then I didn't.

Their little spat in the hallway before we split with Urameshi was startin' to make a lot more sense too. I wondered if it was 'cause Urameshi gave his life…or I guess was gonna give his life, to save his mom. Anyway, I knew that it wasn't time to think of stuff like that! I had to help Kurama fight this thing, or at least shut it up.

* * *

It wasn't like I was overly surprised or anything. I mean, it _was_ Hiei and all, but I guess all the signs were there. I wished that it hadn't come out like that. I know how embarrassing that must have been for him. Especially for a guy so guarded. But it didn't phase him, not one bit. He was angry, and didn't have time to think about his other emotions. In fact, he already had a plan in his head, _that_ I could tell just from knowing him. He was waiting, a tactic more commonly used by Kurama, for that perfect chance.

"We'll have to sanction you. Imprison you. Kill you," the man taunted on. "You're not authorized to be here. You're trespassing on U.S. Government property." He wasn't fooling. The man holding me shifted, and I felt another pain course through my body as he jabbed a knife into my leg. Looking back now, I knew that this guy was crazy, probably from the work of the project. Otherwise, why else would someone want to torture a teenage kid?

The man laughed, filling my senses again, but this time around I managed to ignore it and focus on Hiei again. Red and violet flames danced around the edges of his blade; which was no longer concealed on his back. Upon further inspection I saw that he actually took Koenma's knife into his left hand, dual wielding the weapons. It was obvious that neither my captor nor the insane scientist could see the sheer amount of demon energy flowing off of him, although that Asian guy probably felt it.

Maybe it was a scientific revelation. It was like everything I learned in school…when I went to school, was clicking in. I knew that the two men were both dead, yet not dead, but not undead like a zombie either. In _this_ time, they may have been deceased, but they were actually communicating to us from _their_ time. Kurama would have been astute enough to figure that out off the bat, just by their overall physical appearance alone. Unfortunately, I think they underestimate us, and Hiei the most. He had already figured the time vortex out himself. They weren't transparent anymore; they were solid and clearly living in this time. They could die.

Only problem is I didn't want a human death on my hands, nor was I really ready to see someone killed. Not only that, if those guys _were_ still alive in our time, then their old-age selves could die or explode or something.

"You're too slow, demon." The man gestured at my captor again, and his machete wrapped around me and struck my other thigh. If it weren't for the traces of Kurama's demon morphine, I probably would've cried.

Hiei still stayed in his position. He knew that I wasn't going to kill anyone, no matter what the case. In a slight moment I caught him smirking. He was going to take advantage of the maniacal scientist's beliefs. We had both read into his statement. He believed that Hiei was slow, possibly because his _own_ demon was slow. It could only run at human speeds, most likely due to the fact that it was conceived by an atheist. The guy had no idea what he was in for.

I formulated a plan of my own. The least I could was try and figure out how to get away from this guy. We knew that the two of them couldn't visually see our energy. I was going to need my Spirit Gun. Putting the awkwardness of our personal life aside, we signaled to each other so slightly that it probably went unnoticed. I let my aura flow into my fingertips, which I still had slack at my side to avoid bringing attention to our scheme. Warmth circulated throughout my body, focusing into my index finger, and then finally throbbed as it waited impatiently to be released.

Before the man could cackle again, I aimed at his chest and fired a portion of my Spirit Energy at him. I felt a stinging in my limbs as I fell to the floor, released from the soldier's grip when Hiei slashed at him with his left hand. Blood was sent across the floor, mixing in with puddles of my own. I was confident when I looked upon the body that Hiei had in fact, not killed the man, but left him very close to it. Instinctively, I went to check for a pulse on the Asian man, but Hiei stopped me.

"Don't, Yusuke. They're not alive as we had thought. They are ghosts."

Unable to understand how our earlier conclusion had been wrong, I protested, "The guy stabbed me twice, Hiei."

"And so did the commando we fought in the lobby. They were spirits. They've been dispatched."

I argued back. I wanted to understand how what might have been my only scientific conclusion wasn't matching up. Hiei continued on and informed me, "There is a technique that is used frequently in the Demon World, known as sensory overload. It was a front, Detective. They wanted to make you vulnerable and kill you." Sensory overload…it made sense. The echoes, the dizzying trance, the inclusion of pain. These military guys didn't mess around, in life or death. However, that still didn't explain the blood. Then again, there have been cases of hauntings where blood mysteriously appeared. I decided not to question it much, it was time to sift through the documents since the bodies of our opponents had disappeared into nothingness.

We scoured the area, and it was too difficult to find anything at all, mostly because the English that I knew came from random Japanese advertisements and song titles. Kurama would have been better suited in this case.

"Take pictures, Detective." Hiei's suggestion had done it again. He knew what I was thinking and he found a solution to my problem without dancing around it. Soon we were opening folders and spreading documents around, taking photographs that we hoped were going through to Koenma. Unfortunately, the documents on the floor were soiled. I had neglected to tend to my three wounds, having forgotten them due to the strength of Kurama's herbs.

"Yusuke," Hiei said, a tone softer than I have ever heard him speak in, "let's go back." He had a document in his hand that looked unlike any other we had seen. It read 'TOP SECRET' in English. I was ecstatic, perhaps I wasn't as dumb as I believed.

"Yusuke…" Hiei prodded on, still in his concerned tone. "We will meet up with Kurama, and then tell Koenma that we will never return to this place." He extended a hand out, offering to help me walk. I took it, and we stopped at the door of the hallway where he set me down.

"Hold still," he commanded. His hand reached for my side, taking my clean knife and then using that to cut a larger opening in the dark-stained fabric near my leg wounds. Placing the blade in his teeth, he then tore off both of his sleeves, and used his energy to sanitize them, at least I think that is why I saw his aura.

"Hiei," I found myself muttering, knowing that I shouldn't be bring the topic up but doing it anyway, "is it true?" Curiosity killed the cat, as they say, but I wasn't afraid of asking Hiei about his feelings for once.

His eyes pierced into me during that split second he gazed away from my wound dressing to my own eyes. He pulled my knife from his teeth, and warned, "This is going to burn." His energy went through the blade again, heating it up a bright magma red, and he brought it down upon each wound, burning the flesh to prevent infection. I winced, knowing that I would feel the full amount of pain later.

He proceeded with the rest of my treatment, and tightly wrapped one of his sleeves around my right thigh. Tying the ends secure, he finally answered, "It's true." He made no move to look at me this time. I was wrong to have brought it up, it would have been better in a much more convenient setting, like Japan. But to err is human.

"Why?" I pushed.

His hands carried on with their work, tying the final knot on my left leg. Standing, he loaned me another hand, and responded, "Not now." I complied, taking his hand again and propping myself on his shoulder. We began our trek back to the destined meeting spot, hoping to find Kurama and Kuwabara alive and well.

_To Be Continued…_


	4. 4

Enjoy. I was on a roll with this one, but had to end it because I not only wanted to keep my chapters somewhat consistent, but felt that the next progression of events would not fit well with the theme of this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

I was an utter mess, a walking bag of ground meat in bloody bandages. We managed to return to the meeting place first, and only had to wait about fifteen-minutes before they got back. It was still awkward. I could tell that Hiei was trying his hardest not to take care of me any more, but his eyes were fixated on my wounds and wrappings. Kuwabara was stunned to see that I had been stabbed not once, but twice in the short time, and Kurama had this stale expression on his face that said more than I'm certain he wanted to.

They were no sight either. Kuwabara had one hell of a bruise on his left cheekbone, and part of his top had been torn, as if he had avoided a cutting to the skin but not the clothes. Kurama looked a little more raggy than Kuwabara, with blood from a light scratch on his right shoulder.

"What did you two see?" I asked them, figuring that explaining our various cuts and bruises would waste time. It was obvious that we had both had our fights, but with what was the question.

"Well," Kurama began, "we happened upon the apparition of a very powerful psychic who had attempted to use a sensory overload tactic on me, which might I add, failed. He was easily dealt with." His eyes scanned my body again, and the skin between his eyebrows wrinkled in what I would have called displeasure. "Kuwabara's swordsmanship was exceptional, and his detective skills utterly remarkable. We uncovered various old consoles, all of which were unpowered and inoperative."

"So then, we walked a bit further, which is why we were a little late," Kuwabara stepped in, "and found some sort of room that had broken screens or something for all of its walls, except for this one by the door which was like a two way mirror that you see in cop shows." Wonderful. So we had either prisoner torture on our hands, which would account for even more pissed off ghosts, or we had some sort of observation room where that monster was created.

"There was an emptiness that both Kuwabara and I felt there. A void." Kurama stopped as I faltered, my legs were starting to give out mid-story and Hiei was not prepared for it. As the redhead brought me up on his shoulder, he informed us, "As Kuwabara was busy taking photographs for Koenma, I was lost in the dizziness of scents from the center of the room."

"Scents?" I asked naively. The whole trip had been pretty weird, and stank of rotten mold and rusty metal. My questions from our latest battle had been answered in his reply, and trust me, I had no idea how the heck he had managed to smell what he did. Physics either heavily applied in this situation, or not at all.

"I smelt people. Creatures. Gunpowder. Metal. I even smelt the ocean, Yusuke," said Kurama. The cadence of my name was our cue to start moving out.

"Hn. All of that time vortex crap again," Hiei muttered. "Save the report for Koenma."

"Fine, Hiei," Kurama complied curtly. There was still an uneasiness between them, which I think stems from that moment when Kurama betrayed Hiei to save my life. It's all a laughing matter now, but when the two aren't talking strategies on the sidelines, Hiei seems completely annoyed by him.

"Uh, Hiei?" Kuwabara cut in to our pace, probably afraid to piss off Hiei even more.

"What is it?" the demon scathed in return. Sometimes I wished those guys would cut it out, and that was one of those times. But thankfully, I think my wish had actually come true for once.

"Seeing as you're the only one who's in perfect shape, maybe you should, uh…" I knew my friend was stopping due to not wanting to suggest any advice to the already peeved demon, but his suggestion was worthwhile and _smart_. He finished, "Maybe I should carry Urameshi. I'm kinda the most useless of you four…" I felt his pain as he admitted his weakness, but really, I think it was mainly to boost Hiei's ego as a means of persuasion.

"What don't we know," Hiei remarked.

"Basically, what I mean is that Kurama is pretty strong, and you don't have a single scratch on ya, so you guys should probably lead us back and be ready to fight in case that monster is waiting for us back at the lobby." Ah yes, leave it to Kuwabara to remind us all of the fact that our pathway out was not going to be so happy-go-lucky. We all knew that maybe the thing had stayed on its course while chasing us, and could be around the next corner. There was also that chance that we wouldn't have to face it…but then again that would mean our mission was a failure.

I felt Hiei stop, though. He had taken Kuwabara's suggestion to heart. I wondered if he had felt guilty for not being able to prevent my injuries, and if he was just as scared as the rest of us. I mean, sure, he showed it, but was it as deep?

"Don't accidentally stab him with that knife," Hiei chided him. "We know he's already been stabbed enough today and we don't need Koenma's prized employee dead." I was flattered. Hiei had his own way of showing that he cared, and in this case it was telling Kuwabara not to hurt me.

Hiei seemed to be feeling very verbose at that moment. As I literally changed hands from he and Kurama to Kuwabara, Hiei said, "We are just going to leave. There is no point in staying just to die. Koenma has all he needs and he can't force us to do this."

It was confirmed then. Hiei _was_ scared. Scared enough to forfeit even more of his freedom, because after all, defying Koenma could add on years to his sentence. It was times like this that I had wished I could have known Hiei a lot sooner.

We walked on, and on, and on. The hallways were seemingly endless, and probably because we had that anxiety to return home as soon as possible. It's like staring at the clock for that last five minutes of class; sometimes it seems like the hands are going backwards. We had begun to see familiar territory again, but our relief was halted by sounds. First it was the echo of a door slamming, or maybe it was machinery. Then it was a high pitched shriek that not one of us could identify. We could not stop, we _did not stop_, but then…

Then there was the echoes of many men. We halted, we had to. What lay ahead for us? We knew we had stopped for too long once the echoes grew closer, chanting to the timpani of their footsteps. Kuwabara readied himself, asking me if I was alright to stand. I lied and answered that I was, although Kurama's plant-like morphine was nearly worn off. I was in pain.

"They're coming," stated Hiei, hand ready upon his sword and anxious to dual-wield blades again. Kurama nodded and took a defensive stance, reminding Hiei that these were most likely living and breathing humans that we should not kill. He uttered a growl, since we had been given the right to sin-free murder, and sheathed his weapons in disgust.

"Kurama," I asked, knees weakening and hand propping me up on the wall, "is there any way you can block them?" At least, I had hoped, long enough for him to give me even more of that drug which I so desperately needed.

"No." He thought to himself for a moment, hoping that his immediate answer was not the only answer, and explained, "If we were outside, perhaps. It would be too risky to turn my rose whip into a barrier. It would be sharp, but certainly they may find a way to burn through it. Then I would be left without a long ranged weapon."

"Kuwabara?" I turned my head to the side, "What about you? Got any ideas?"

"Could cut the pipes above us with my Spirit Sword," he mused, "but that would block our path and ya never know what's going through there. Or we could go back."

"And face those apparitions again? They're _undead_, you idiot," Hiei reminded him in a belittling tone.

There was not much time left before we were to face our opponents. I had to make a decision, and fast. My teammates were counting on me to organize our efforts, and the majority of us did not want to kill as a means to survive. Only one thing came to mind, and that was to charge them. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have some sort of contingency plan either.

"Everyone," I addressed them, "give Hiei your communicators and any evidence." I turned to Kurama and instructed, "If there ain't enough of that drug to put all of them to sleep, then pop some in my mouth so I can help blast our way out of here." Kurama nodded, revealing the tiny remainder of the plant and feeding it to me before turning back into his stance. It didn't work instantly, but I figured that once confronted I'd be able to fight and not care that my legs would be weeping blood.

"Detective…" Hiei urged me to give an end to the order. "Hurry."

I smirked, a false sense of hope to reassure them that I was my old self and ready to kick some ass. I then finished with, "Hiei, you're going to bust through on the left, and Kurama is going to follow behind on the right. Kuwabara and I are gonna punch out some stragglers, and I'll use my Spirit Gun if it gets too intense."

"Heh," Hiei let out. "So what you're saying is to just cause complete and utter chaos while we run out." I nodded back at him, and he replied, eyes forward and ready to run, "Got it."

We waited, and waited…and waited. We all knew that something wasn't quite right. They hadn't come for us, but they were so close! Kurama had suggested that perhaps they knew of a passageway that we did not, and maybe they were hoping to attack us from both ends. Hiei, on the other hand, stated something far more morbid.

"Just stick together and run out. Don't bother to stop and help the dying." Our eyes nearly burst open, but then Kurama began feeling it too. He held his hand to his face, claiming that the strong scent of blood was making him dizzy.

"Are you saying they're all dead?" Kuwabara asked.

"Not all. Most."

It was chilling. These commandos were strong, maybe not so much as the ghosts, but they were strong. And they probably already knew what was inside here, but yet they all were wiped out like that? How long would we have before they became malevolent spirits themselves? At least we knew one thing: the number of our opponents would be smaller if we hurried.

"Wait," Kurama said quietly, leaning on a wall, "feel this here." His hand was resting upon a loose metal panel that shifted like a scale when he changed pressure on it.

"That proves your other passageway theory, fox," stated Hiei, "but that doesn't explain the death in the air _nor_ the fact that my Jagan was unable to detect it."

"There must be something…" the redhead said, feeling his way around the edges of the panel to find a leverage to pry it off. Standing on his toes, he felt the seam at the top, and pulled his hand back as if he had touched an open electrical outlet. He let out an exclamation of pain and pulled his fingers away to reveal charred fingertips. He shook his hand off and stated, "A cleverly disguised ward."

"Your talent as Youko Kurama was in breaking seals, was it not? Get rid of it already." Hiei was growing impatient, and his impatience only made me that much more scared. At least we held comfort in the fact that no monster would be able to pass through such a secret corridor due to the ward, however…

"I cannot. It is neither Japanese nor demonic in nature." Kurama looked with disdain over at Kuwabara, and requested, "Kuwabara, would you mind removing the seal? All you would need to do is peel off the piece of sheet metal on the top seam."

"Sure, no problem," my classmate replied. His height allowed him to easily reach the ward, and his strength allowed him to pull it off with ease. He tossed it down to the floor and gave us all a cocky grin of victory, and declared, "Okay! Now that good ol' Kuwabara has peeled off the seal, let's smack this bad boy down an--"

Hiei shouted, "No!"

The metal panel hit the opposite wall with loud clank, and then onto the floor. My eyes could barely discern what happened among the shock and the earthy dust that came through the opened hallway, but I believe that Hiei pushed Kuwabara and Kurama onto the floor just as the wall broke. That same high shrieking sound destroyed our ears, I think it had made us all go temporarily deaf. I had run to their sides to ask them if they were alright, and Hiei's mouth was shouting at me to move, but I never heard him as the deep claw dug into my back. I could not hear myself scream as the black scythe tore a straight line next to my spine.

Hiei immediately drew his sword and dismembered the creatures hand from its arm. I could only tell because I no longer felt force behind the slicing motion as the large claw fell to my side. Kurama grabbed at my shoulders and pulled me away, leaving me but a bystander laying on the floor, bleeding to death. Through the red that filtered over my eyes, I could see the beast which they battled.

It was very similar to the vegetative beings we had fought at Maze Castle. It's shape was humanoid, its skin a blend of bright magma and browns, with thorns protruding from his shoulders and skull. It's claws resembled a wolverine. It was frightening.

The battle was as well balanced as it could be in such a confined area. The creature's blood was black and spewed from the wounds Hiei inflicted, filling the hallway with the scent of garbage. It was as slow as a human when it came to attacks and movement, thankfully Hiei was prepared for such an advantage from the previous information handed out to us by that insane scientist. Unfortunately…

The worst part of our deafness was that the others did not see the remainder of the men come from the exit hallway. The United States Military was keeping its distance from the creature, but had opened fire both on it and _us_. Bullets fell to my side as Hiei and Kurama deflected them, however I still could not hear anything. I couldn't move, and felt my breath declining. I twitched as two ricocheting bullets struck just below my left leg wound, and into my left bicep as well.

My life was literally draining from me. I could no longer see, in addition to the deafness and temporary paralysis. I could not focus enough to even shoot from my Spirit Gun. I could only communicate through finger twitches.

I was reaching for the last place that I knew the ward was. I whispered, "Use the metal ward," hoping that Kuwabara would at least sense me and fend off the demon with the sharp metal on the floor. It might not have done much, but at least it could give them all a chance to concentrate on the barrage of guns attacking them, and flee down the newly opened corridor.

There was nothingness. It had grown far more dark in that hallway. I felt surrounded by an intense heat created by a tornadic whirlwind of evil energy. I was certain…so certain. I wanted to protest the action, but I had no way of communicating. I had fallen into a deep slumber that erased all memory of what had occurred beyond that, one which scared away any comforting dreams, leaving me with nothing but a lost period of time, and a pissed off mentality that I was such an easy target for injury this mission.

_To Be Continued..._

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**Author's Note**

So many clues in this little chapter. There are still many unanswered questions though to think about. Does anyone die? What was up with that little Kuwabara POV in Chapter 3? And what exactly were those spiders eating to live?

I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews so far. The longer they are, the better!

Zelia


	5. 5

I raised the rating to **M** for chapter content. It might be unnoticeable, but I love this story and don't want it removed for any reason.

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

Once I woke up, I had come to terms with the fact that I wasn't exactly in tip-top shape. Normally I was used to Kuwabara taking the extreme beating, or Kurama having the random stab wounds all over the place. I guess this was my turn.

The area was a far cry from where we previously were. It was damp; drops of water would randomly fall from the ceiling and echo loudly in the water below us. An echo is probably what brought me to. I was ecstatic to hear again. We were on rusted metal catwalks in a barely lit cavern. I could only guess that somehow we had escaped into an entirely different facility housed over a natural aqueduct. I could hear a few distant thunderous rumbles as Kurama explained to me what had transpired.

Kuwabara had, in fact, paid attention to the movements I wasn't even sure I had made. The creature had gotten an eyeful of metal ward and gone haywire, charging blindly into the marines without attacking. Kuwabara had picked me up and ran down the hallway with Hiei and Kurama. Somehow they got lost and ended up in the caverns.

Kuwabara's camouflage was darkened in various spots with my blood. He was still holding me at this point. I could make out dried tear streaks on his face; had I been that close to death? Most likely, I know I sure as hell felt like it. Reluctant to leave the comfort of my friend's hold, I struggled and rolled away from Kuwabara, only to land on my injured thigh.

"Damn it, you lout!" Hiei hissed as I fell with a cry. "Don't drop him on his wounds!"

"I didn't drop him!" Kuwabara argued in return. "He jumped away from me!"

Hiei began to growl in my defense as I grappled for the flaking railing, but I stopped and interrupted him. "I did, Hiei. I can…walk." I faltered in irony to the statement. My body was battered, but luckily nothing was broken. As I continued to stumble along the side railing, my friends watched me closely. Hiei was busier watching the feeble guardrails buckle beneath the weight of nearly my entire being then watching our surroundings, and Kurama held this condescending look about him as if he were angry with the other two for being so careless with me.

"That railing's not sturdy, Yusuke," he warned me.

I looked to him in discomfort, because not only did I hurt, but I was really not in the mood to have him scold me. Mostly because I damn well _knew_ it wasn't sturdy, but I didn't really care since it was better than one of them risking their own hides to carry _my_ ass around. And plus, it wasn't like _he_ was making any motion to act as an auxiliary set of legs, so either he chiding Hiei's butt or already knew that I didn't want to be so pathetic.

"This whole damn bridge thing isn't sturdy, _Kurama_," I shot back in annoyance. I heard a faint triumphant grunt of victory come from Hiei, but received only a disturbed look from Kurama as he haughtily jerked his head forward, dropping his eyes from my care. At that point I had made a note in my mind to verbally kick my allies' asses after the mission for letting their little spat get in the way of not only our work, but our team morale as well. Being a leader just sucks sometimes.

I eased my grip on the railing, trying to force myself to walk on my legs. Fortunately the guys had done even more minor surgery on me while I was out, so I didn't have to deal with shallow bullets grinding against my muscles. We were vastly approaching a segue, a separation of the catwalk by a thick metal door, a common trait found in movies with underground facilities. We stopped, not to prepare, but because for some reason I yelped like a little girl when a coin-sized spider ran across my fingers on its journey along the edges of the railing.

Hiei looked at me with disdain, he had been watching the railing all along and most likely found it pathetic that I had shrieked because of such a small thing. Kurama stopped, not bothering to look back at me due to his newfound anger for the rest of the group. I wanted to slap him silly and find the little eight-legged bugger and toss it into his hair. I mean…Kurama's awesome in so many ways I can't even begin to describe or list them all…but to have such a callous attitude at a time like this was not something I liked.

If I had taken the time to delve deeper into his psyche then, I would have. Looking back, he probably was hurt that I didn't take him seriously, and also trying to ignore the fear and anxiety of the situation in order to maintain his normally calm, collected, and indifferent demeanor that allowed him to fight and concentrate so well. In fact later on I learned just as much. But at the time he just came off as upset to me, so I didn't think much of it then. I was more concerned with the dilemma of living spiders again.

"What's up Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked me, since no one else felt the need to.

"Nothing, a spider just skittled across my hand and I wasn't expectin' it," I explained, trying to be as macho as I could about it.

"Damn, we got livin' spidies again?" he muttered, rubbing his chin in thought. "Guess that means there are some fresh dead bodies and flies around here somewhere…"

"Which means more ghosts," Hiei added. "Hn. How utterly annoying. At least you seem to be the more astute one this time around, Kuwabara." Hiei looked at Kurama in with disapproval. "Can't say the same for you, fox."

"Quiet, Hiei," Kurama retorted with only a slight turn of his head, eyes ruthless and tone full of hate. Another vibration of bass sound rumbled throughout the caverns in warning.

"Quiet?" Hiei perked an eyebrow in interest of the changed mood. He took a stance near Kuwabara, and mockingly inquired, "I hate to say it, fox, but our comrade has a valid point. I don't remember _you_ doing much more than staring straightforward or watching the rest of us to make sure we don't kill the detective."

"That's it," I scolded them, frustrated with everyone's crap. "How the fuck are we supposed to get out of here alive if you all want to kill each other?" I glared at each of them, though really it was Hiei and even moreso Kurama who needed this verbal beating. I gave them a chance for a rebuttal, but they just stared at me. Kurama was trying to maintain his angry composure, and Hiei…Hiei's face was desperately trying not to crack a smile. He always enjoyed a good ass kicking, even if it was directed at him.

"Exactly. It's not like I'm gonna hand out hand-jobs to whomever wins your little debate," I crudely remarked, since it had really looked as though they were fighting over me, "so cut the shit and listen. This time we aren't gonna run in and get our asses handed to us on a rusty silver platter. In fact…" I victoriously rose my head and then sat on the creaking catwalk. "Hiei, you're gonna go with Kuwabara since you two can kick a ghost's behind in like three seconds, and then come back and get me and Kurama…" I directed back over to Kurama, and remarked, "Who's gonna sit on _his_ ass and baby-sit me whether he fucking likes it or not. Got that everyone?"

"Indeed," replied Hiei, whose smirk had all but hidden itself now.

"But…!" Kuwabara rebelled, "Urameshi! What if…?"

"What if what?" I shrugged from my position on the suspended floor. "They're ghosts. They're either pansies or tough military dudes. Just cut 'em all down with your Spirit based attacks, and don't let them play their little distracting mind tricks on you. Kurama's got me covered, and there's more than enough moldy plants in the water below for him to use if we're in trouble. But that ain't gonna happen, because you guys are gonna be on a straight path from us." I changed my tone from demanding to light and caring, because I really didn't want to add to the pissitivity of the situation, and left him with, "Okay?"

He and Hiei nodded, and made their way up to the mysterious door of the segue. Meanwhile, Kurama sat down facing me, but was still averting his eyes angrily through the porous holes of the metal to the darkened waters below. There was a lot of pain and hostility pent up within him, and it was like I could feel it through his aura.

"So, ya wanna talk?" I urged him, intending to deeply listen but still keep an open ear for any not-so-good combat sounds beyond the wall.

His bangs covered his eyes, but I saw those green little things tremble as he looked up at me through his hair. He pulled his sight back to the water like it was a mistake to have looked at me, and there was a still silence in the air. Aside from the fading sounds of Hiei and Kuwabara, that is.

"This sucks," I complained, since that was what I tended to do when I was bored and things became too quiet. Again, I caught Kurama looking at me, and stared him down. Surprisingly, this little act of his wasn't so hard to break, and he fumbled with a wince. I was shocked; Kurama was normally not broken so easily. Emotion fell from him, and soon he was on his knees and embracing me around my arms; taking care not to touch my wounds; and pressed his face to mine while resting his chin upon my left shoulder. I had never expected Kurama to react in such a way, nor had I ever thought he would be so quick to dish out the hugs.

"I am so sorry Yusuke…" he whispered. "As we fled from our enemies, I felt your life force draining from you. You nearly died…and there we were, absconding from the very beings that harmed you. There was no where to direct my vengeance, and no way of going back without leaving you to die. It was…" I learned so much about Kurama then. It was no wonder that during countless other times of peril, my friends, and mainly the more demonic of them, hardly showed more emotion that anger. It was because whatever was pissing them off was right there for them to kill. Not here. Though I suppose now, it is the same for anyone…that's probably why some people can get away with pleading temporary insanity in a murder trial.

"I'm fine now," I assured him, although he knew I was just telling him I was alive. I wasn't really _fine_.

"_Yusuke_…" he murmured with anxiety, an inflection of sadness on my name. "Don't die. Don't be so careless with your life…" His hold tightened as his hands flattened out on my back, I could feel that he didn't want to let go. It was so…_sad_; I couldn't help but lift my arms and hold him in return, but as I did so, he shuddered from the contact and I felt a hot tear moisten my cheek.

He was so undeniably human then, though all demons are somewhat when I reflect on it, whether or not they'd like to admit it. Out of respect, I didn't look at his face. Instead I softly asked as he trembled, "Are you crying?" It was like my funeral…except this time I was able to interact instead of float around and be unheard. Kurama let out an unstoppable weeping sigh in response, sharing more of his tears with my face and shoulders. I held him closer; disregarding my wounds as they were no longer of importance, and said, "I'm not going to die, okay? We're all going to be fine." It seemed true enough, I hadn't heard any combat yet from the other two, in fact I could still hear their quiet, steady footsteps and hollow bickerings.

Kurama continued to let his feelings unravel from him, and once again he let out a shiver of emotional hurt along with a wave of confessional ramblings. "_Just don't die. I couldn't contain myself if I wanted…this youko would fight to the death if…_" There was another shudder and he admitted, "I just care for you so much…"

"I'm not gonna die," I murmured, hoping to put a stop to his confession. I didn't want to hear another one tonight, I didn't want to know that my wild tangent guess about the fighting was right. It wasn't that I…let's just say that it wasn't the time or place to talk feelings with Hiei or Kurama.

"Please don't…" he requested. I heard the remnants of a smile in the statement, but it still came out as tearful weeping.

I'll admit that a tear or two mixed with his, but whether or not he felt it I can say that he probably didn't. It was too much to witness Kurama's breakdown, to feel such a close friend emotionally disintegrate in my arms. I couldn't help but get depressed, but it was all masked by my injuries. I flinched again, and Kurama caught this, easing up on his firm hug but still not letting go.

With a slight sniffle and an attempt to calm himself, he stated slowly in my ear, "There is way that I can take it away…if you want…" My face bent in curiosity, I was certain that most and possibly all of the demonic morphine was gone.

"What is it?" I inquired. From the way he spoke, it seemed as though this healing method was rather unconventional. Turns out that's exactly what it was.

He knelt away from me, hands still on my shoulders and somber eyes seeing into mine. He stated, "It's similar…to an electrical circuit, but with my aura. I have to place my hands near your wounds, and then close the circuit by connecting to you, allowing my spirit to…" He took another deep breath as he gained more of his composure. "…Regenerate you. It might not work completely, and it very may well exhaust me…but you'll be able to walk and not leave a blood trail. It's-"

"Crazy?" I finished for him. "Does that mean you'll start getting cuts and stuff all over your body? Speaking of which, you've got your own stuff to deal with!"

"No…Yusuke," he replied, caressing my shoulders with his thumbs. "It's not like that. It is more similar to Botan's white magic, but it is dark and almost like reverse necromancy. I can regenerate my aura relatively fast, so healing you will not be a problem."

"Okay," I agreed, comprehending what he was trying to explain to me. "So what's this closed circuit stuff again?" I was definitely not expecting the answer he gave me.

"I assume that when you returned to life, Yusuke, it was because someone had transferred their spirit to you through the lips." I nodded, letting out a minor gasp as I did so. It felt very out of place to take a kiss from a close friend.

Another tear ran down his cheek, as he must have thought the same thing. He swept his sleeve over it, and stated, "The injury on your side is the deepest." He placed his hand over it, coursing a sting over the top layer of scabbed flesh, and asked, "Are you alright with this?"

I swallowed hard in preparation, and answered, "Yes. Just promise me that you'll stop before passing out." He shook his head affirmatively and blinked, removing another stray droplet of water from his eyes. His other hand braced itself against my back, and he drew me in, pressing our lips together.

It was far from an ordinary kiss. I wouldn't even have thought for a moment that Kurama was lying about healing me just to steal a kiss, but if I had, I would have been proven sorely wrong. I felt this intense rush of energy and emotion surge through me, like I was constantly riding down the steep momentous hill of a rollercoaster. I tried to squirm away, not because I felt uncomfortable, but because his demonic aura was so powerful that I felt like my body wouldn't be able to handle it.

After the power came the thoughts. I felt everything that Kurama felt, and I involuntarily wept for him, since he was actually crying through _me_. He placed a lot on the line by healing me…because I heard every thought of his like he were whispering it through my head with telepathy.

_"I'm so sorry, Yusuke."_

_"Don't die, Yusuke!"_

_"I didn't want our first kiss to be this way."_

His hand moved to my right leg in order to continue the healing process. That's when the thoughts took a strange turn, like the first wave was pure Shuichi and the next was Youko.

_"I'll kill them all."_

_"They'll never find their contorted bodies in the trees."_

_"They'll know pain far worse than a knife in their side."_

I wanted to pull away. I felt like I was intruding upon Kurama's personal journal, and to be honest, I had seen far too much. Hiei always said that Youko Kurama was the most ruthless of them all, and at times I had seen him tear apart an enemy with little remorse. But I couldn't pull away, the grasp was tight and the energy chain could not be broken, it refused to until Kurama's energy dwindled.

His hand meekly traced a line to my stomach and then back to my leg, as it could not lift or pull away. A merger of his soul, the true Kurama spoke to me then. There was no distinct personality, just Kurama.

_"They should be alright."_

_"I can't keep my promise to Yusuke."_

_"I hope Kuwabara can handle Hiei on his own."_

Finally it faded. I could feel my own body as Kurama collapsed into my chest, breath slight and steady like he were sleeping, but with his eyes open and apologetic. He spoke to me this time, with real words, and said, "I apologize…if that was awkward." I blinked at him; what was I supposed to say? I let him continue, "I could not fully heal any of them…but they are no longer deep and you should be able to wa-" He didn't finish as he finally exasperated himself and passed out. I wiped aside both of our tears with my fingers, and readjusted our bodies so that we could move quickly if need be.

It was an amazing technique to undergo. It was no wonder we didn't use it more often, aside from the whole kissing part of it. Disregarding the stab wound on my left leg, my injuries were as shallow as scrapes, it looked like I had a bad fall out of a tree…two days ago. Where Kurama learned something like that, I have no idea, but I considered asking him later in case we ever needed to use it again. I also reminded myself to prompt Botan about teaching us some of her white magic healing techniques, since that was far less extraordinary and awkward.

However, my mind stopped as I was alerted to the heavy thud of my friends' footsteps along the metal. The door yonder had opened, and they fled right to our side, terrified like something had happened. Immediately, Kuwabara exclaimed, "Urameshi! What happened to Kurama! We felt this weird burst of Spirit Energy and came runnin'!"

"Hn," grunted Hiei as he looked at the way I held the redhead. "Kurama just used his energy to fix the detective."

"Huh?" my classmate said, itching his hair. "Why didn't we just do that before?"

I learned then that Hiei also knew the secrets of the technique, or at least had heard of it before. With all of his anger toward Kurama during the past few hours, I never expected him to lie to Kuwabara just to save our feelings.

"Idiot," Hiei rolled his eyes. "For one, you can already see that it incapacitates the healer, unless you lost your eyes somewhere during this mission." Kuwabara growled, but allowed Hiei to finish. "And second, I can't believe that I have to explain to you that Kurama has an affinity for plants."

"That doesn't make sense!" Kuwabara cried out. "He always uses that stuff! Why did it make him pass out this time?"

"Grr…" Hiei grumbled. "In case you didn't know, our detective here was about to _die_."

"Oh. I get it."

I laughed at this point, and thankfully it didn't bring any pain to my side when I did. I placed a firm grip on Kurama, and nudged him awake so that I could help him to his feet with ease.

"How ya doin'?" I asked him, not entirely amazed that he had regenerated so much energy so quickly. Now using me as a crutch, Kurama stood, and the four of us began walking.

"Better," he muttered, gripping the railing for more support. "Did you two find trouble up ahead?"

"No," answered Hiei.

"But we found somethin' kinda gross that you guys might wanna see," Kuwabara reported. "Well maybe you don't wanna see it but I think it might spell out trouble for later."

"Whaddya mean?" I prodded him, sweeping away a web covering the railing for fun. "Did you find an answer to our spider infestation problem?"

"Answer?" Hiei chuckled as much as he could. "No." We had finally hit the door they came from, and when they opened it, we were in a small circular room that looked like more of a silo than a support pillar for the catwalk. It was not a long walk to the other side, in fact it was probably only as big as a classroom. Hiei gestured for us to squeeze through yet another rusted door that at one time could have been electrically powered to slide open, but didn't quite make it this time and was therefore a tight squeeze.

Beyond the narrow opening was yet another catwalk, but webs covered the distance between the railing and flooring. Shadows of black widows and other larger jutted spiders danced across our faces as we walked, since they had made their webs in hanging ceiling lights. The transparent silk became increasingly opaque as we ventured on, egg sacs and wrapped up flies speckled the webs of the dangerous creatures.

"Nasty, huh?" Kuwabara remarked with disgust, trying his damnedest not to touch anything. "We got to about here before we ran back."

I looked at where he pointed, and we had made it to another support pillar in the cavern that was definitely twice as wide as the previous one we trekked through. Hiei jabbed his sword into the seam of the wall and door, and used it as a crowbar to slide it open. The shrieking of the metal friction was merely dissonance to the rather loud tremble in the air. Kurama made mention that perhaps we were getting close to an exit, and that we were hearing thunder from outside.

"Smells funny in here," I remarked as we stepped in. The room was a behemoth compared to the last passageway, except in this one there was more than one exit. Not only was there yet another door nearly perpendicular to the line of sight of the one we entered, but spiraling around the room was a dull gray walkway that served as a ramp to a second and possibly tertiary level. However, it was too dark to see that far up. Visible spider webs with active residents were strung everywhere, a nice accent to the rust and dust of the room.

"Uhh…guys," Kuwabara called from the center of the room. He directed our attention to a series of scientific consoles placed in the middle of the circle. Slouched next to them were unusually giant balls of spun spider silk.

"This does not bode well…" Kurama stated, glancing to Hiei. The tension was seemingly gone, as Hiei took it as a sign of communication and pulled out his knife to cut open the contents of the sac.

"Oh…gross!" Kuwabara shouted loudly as Hiei revealed a decrepit human corpse in the first lump of silk. Their clothing was deteriorating and sticky, but we were sure of one thing…

"That's civilian clothing, guys," I announced. "Check out the rest of them, Hiei. We might have something to bring back to Koenma after all." Hiei complied with the order, and confirmed my suspicion. We found a total of six people, all of them lacking military attire, and one even had a camera slung around his neck. Two of them appeared to have died years earlier than the other four.

Another loud rumble echoed, this time from above, and was followed by a series of flashing and another clap of thunder.

"There's a way out, guys!" Kuwabara cheered, "It's right up there! Let's get this guys camera and run up there!"

Finally, it seemed as thought the four of us were in agreement. While we didn't fancy the thought of exiting into unknown territory during a storm, the fact was, we had a way _out_. I had thought that maybe we were all in the free and clear, but when I took that maiden step onto the base of the ascending ramp, Kurama had to come back with his observant knowledge.

"I doubt these travelers met their end from small spiders such as these." I held my quick pace, and as he spoke, I was moving up the ramp. I stopped when they looked at me with displeasure.

"What?" I shrugged, leaning over the railing, looking down from nearly eleven feet above them. "Who cares, let's just go!"

It wasn't until the suspended floor beneath my feet collapsed from impact that I understood the concerned look on their faces. I cursed and fell into the pile of rubble, only to look up and see what had crushed the support beams of the lower ramp.

_To Be Continued…_

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**Author's Note**

I love mentioning past works of mine in new works, in whatever way possible. Please enjoy searching for these little tidbits on your own, whether they scream at you or don't. I felt the need to give some of my hardcore fans a bit of a chuckle with the tension of this chapter; so there's a clue for those of you who are keeping track. (-insert random smilie face that Fanfiction dot net would erase for use of symbols here-)

Zelia


	6. 6

As promised, you're in for a complete twist that I've had in mind since Chapter 1. So please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

After I finished my tumble to the rocks below, I immediately aimed upwards with my finger, ready to shoot my Spirit Gun. There wasn't much time. A furry column of hooked bristles dove for the center of the rubble I was in, and I found myself gripped by Hiei who had pulled me out of the way. My reaction time was slow.

Kuwabara had already produced his Spirit Sword, and was steadily guarding Kurama who still seemed exhausted. His Rose Whip was significantly smaller, it wasn't necessarily shorter in length, but any one of us knew that the reason it thinned out nearly as much as it did was because he had strained his energy to manipulate it that way. I had to make this fight count, Kurama's vulnerability was all my fault. Though I'm sure that the three of them seemed to think that they were responsible for how injured _I_ was.

"Damn it, Detective!" Hiei cursed as we leapt from yet another downward step of the beast. "Move it!"

"I _am_," I replied, annoyed. "It's not like I have a fricken' clue as to what the hell we are running from!"

"Then _look up_!"

And I did. As if I couldn't have predicted it from the clues before, what I witnessed shocked the hell out of me. Maybe it was from the inherent phobia of the things that all humans naturally tended to have. It's funny, because in reality, spiders are small and very helpful creatures. They're misunderstood because of their creepy look and their way of sneaking around.

I'll admit, sometimes I freak out when the wind rushes across my body, tickling the tiny hairs on my arm. I think that it's a spider, and I quickly brush myself off only to find that nothing was there. It's happened everywhere, my legs, the back of my neck, my knuckles. Hell, once a piece of my own hair flew into my ear and I flipped out

Often times there are urban legends, rumors of wacky stories with spiders or news reports that defy science. Spiders that plant their eggs within the skin of humans like a parasite, tarantulas that eat babies, or creatures that can leap the length of a ballroom. Maybe somewhere along the way, these stories were true, but who knows? A lot of people hardly know that one one of the deadliest spiders out there is the Daddy Long Legs. It's venom is amazingly lethal. The funny part is that the things don't have mouths good enough to pierce the skin of large animals. Or so I've heard, though that could be another myth too.

But damn. Whatever the heck _this_ thing was, I hoped to hell that it wasn't a Daddy Long Legs.

Hiei jerked my wrist once more, and we kept running in circles around the room. It was getting tiring. I didn't want the thing to keep destroying our way out of this place, and I certainly didn't wanna have to wait until Kurama recuperated enough to grow us a ladder out of here. I escaped from the demon's hand, and stood my ground.

"Yusuke!" Kurama shouted at me, thinking that perhaps I was making the wrong move.

But in my mind, I wasn't. The walls were still too tough for the spider's leg to pierce, despite the strength it took to collapse our walkway. I was in precisely the right position. I waited with my newfound strength for it to press upon me with another attack, and then dodged it with a handspring, leaving me in the center of the room, beneath it. The only way it would have left to attack us would be to go up, since it's entire body nearly filled the room.

In this case I was wrong. I didn't realize how small it actually was. My eyes had been given the illusion that it had a larger mass, possibly due to the shadows and the flickering lightning coming from our exit above. And as it scaled down the side of the wall for the four of us, we finally discovered that our opponent was not just an oversized insect. Instead of eight eyes and a pair of horizontal fangs, the creature instead had the abdomen and head of a human, with bruise-colored skin.

"A drachnid…" Kurama whispered, explaining that it was a creature from fantasy novels. I was skeptical of its creation, though. While it would make sense that make one of the psychics manifested the image of a man-spider, I chalked it up to an anomaly with the time warp, where man melded with spider on accident.

"No matter what it _is_," Hiei stated, "we must cut off its legs immediately."

Without thinking of the reasons for Hiei's strategy, I asked him to explain himself, when I could just as easily blast through it with my Spirit Gun. And during our foursome's gymnastics, he did.

"Because, Detective," he said, clinging to the side of the wall, "it's dangerous to fire your Spirit Gun in…" He pushed off the wall with his legs as the beast's arms closed in on him. "…Such a confined area."

"So you guys can stand behind me!" I shouted, running to back up Kuwabara.

Hiei became trapped beneath one of the legs, and was using all of his strength to balance the weight that the sharp hooked foot, all the while continuing with, "Idiot! Sometimes your power pushes back the enemy, and sometimes it completely disintegrates them. None of us, not even you, can…figure…out just why!" He threw the legs to the side, slicing the foot at its first joint, and added, "I don't see the need to bathe ourselves in venom, Detective."

Kuwabara and Kurama successively amputated two consecutive legs in agreement with Hiei. The drachnid shrieked in an unusually layered double-chord of man and beast, and continued to strike at us with it's remaining six legs. Unfortunately for me, as usual during this whole mission, its target was me. I got pinned by a foreleg through my clothing, and then furthermore by the human arms of the abdomen. I could do nothing more than wrestle, bracing my arms on its shoulders and my legs at its belly. Beyond the lips of its face were the crooked cuspids of the arachnid, and the creature continued to press upon me caring not where it sank its teeth into. All it wanted to do was feed.

I felt the heaviness of its exoskeleton shift as it tried to lift itself to cover me in silk. It arched over me like a predator, aching to release all over my body, only to drink my insides just after. It was then that the brightness of Kuwabara's sword illuminated the room, striking the limbs that bore down upon me, splattering red across my chest and face. The spider fell to its back with that same cry as before, and wildly its legs danced in the air as they separated from its body. The limbs continued to writhe from the living nerve endings, even after Kurama and Hiei had cut off their connection to the insect.

Our opponent was far from defeated, though. It was merely injured, and none of us could bear the sounds of the monster any longer. Hiei stepped up to the plate, offering to do what he knew the rest of us could not, and suggested, "Step aside or turn away if you don't want to see this."

Kuwabara of course, felt the need to, and I'm damn glad that he did. He has a hard time dealing with immorality, even if going against morals is the necessary means to an end. Kurama and I, however, watched as Hiei decapitated the human head from its neck. I'm not sure of Kurama's reasons for watching. I suppose that maybe he was so used to death, and that he wanted to be sure that everything went smoothly. But myself? I guess I was compelled to know Hiei's lack of remorse, or even his overabundance of it. Not only that, but I felt like I could honor the human within if I gave it that recognition of a quick death.

Hiei moved his katana swiftly, cutting on a slant and using a quick and clean motion like a Guillotine. Unusual, really. The Guillotine is an invention of death, an invention that actually needed several improvements in order to not only work properly, but to give the condemned individual no painful memories as they passed on. I learned in school that the device originally didn't cut all the way through, and that the neck would need several chopping motions in order to complete behead the person. People would survive the first hacking attempt, and the mess was unbearably gruesome. That's why the thing was changed. Stocks were added for the neck, and the blade was cut on a slant so that it would make an even cut.

Seriously, I picked the weirdest lessons to go to school. But still. This creature had its limbs removed beforehand, and possibly didn't even realize what was going on the whole time.

"It's done," Hiei announced.

"Let's move," I commanded, wiping the deceased's blood from my face. Thankfully, the walkway wasn't all that bad, and we easily climbed our way up. The exit at the top was hinged, and as we exited out into the forest, we were greeted by a few claps of thunder, and about a dozen soldiers of the military.

I cursed as we stood back to back, leaning against each other and communicating solely through the way we breathed and twitched our muscles. They encircled us, pointing heavy guns in our direction, and pushing the buttons on their mechanical goggles.

"Thermal…" Kurama said in our heads. It had been a while since he had used telepathy, and I wasn't prepared to hear his voice in my head again so soon. It was something else that I wished I could learn. Both Hiei and Kurama had used telepathy before they became our allies, but I know that not every demon knew that ability naturally. Either way, it damn well would have been helpful. Sure, the guys probably don't speak Japanese, but it was better for them not to know we were communicating so that we could take them by surprise.

The men shouted at us to do something, and one of them began stepping toward Hiei. I guess that they were asking us to drop our weapons, and Kurama seemed to understand just the slightest, because he unsheathed his knife and set it on the ground. Kuwabara and I followed, however, Hiei did not. At any rate, three men stepped forward to procure our machetes, only to step backwards into their place at the circle. They were wary of Hiei, though one would have thought that the idiots would have realized we were just young guys. I guess it's like the American military to be skeptical.

They demanded something from us again, at which point Hiei finally gave in, setting both his sheathed knife and his katana flat out in front him. Before one of the men grabbed it, they ordered us to do something else, which was to put our hands into the air. Again, the three of us really just followed Kurama's lead.

It came down to Hiei. The second that he complied to set down his weapons, I knew that he had something in mind. As he lifted his hands into the air, he used the motion to flawlessly remove the ward around his forehead, and reveal the Jagan. An arc of men fell before him, stunned and rendered unconscious by the power of the foreign eye. It was…unbelievable. I wondered why we didn't just run around the place holding Hiei in front of us like some sort of shield. I was quickly reminded that we were outdoors, and our powers weren't so easily warded.

He proceeded to face the remainder of the men until they all fell. Kuwabara and I cheered as the rain poured down upon us, and then we surveyed the area in an attempt to recall the images Koenma had shown us before the mission. It was to no avail.

"Urameshi," my friend said as we calmed down, "I think we all just gotta run for it, ya know?"

"Yeah," I said, sniffling from the water. "But which way is the question."

Kurama pointed upwards and noted, "Look. The sun is rising where all of that pink is." We followed his arm, and found a stray line of pink surrounding the blackened clouds in the distance. Okay, so that was East. But we came in through the South. I wasn't quite sure of where Kurama was going with this one, other than the obvious route.

"And, fox?" Hiei inquired as he collected our weapons.

"We should split up into pairs, and reconvene at the gate we came in." My mouth gaped open, looking for a reason as to why, and that's when the one who everyone thought was stupid spoke up.

"Because it gives 'em more than one set of footprints to follow." Kuwabara received an immediate verbal commendation from Hiei, who was more than pleased with this plan, but then reminded everyone not to be a hero.

"But who should go with who?" Kuwabara asked, "I mean, on one hand-"

"I'll travel with you, Kuwabara," Kurama suggested, "It's best that Hiei and I split up. I know the terrain very well, and Hiei can use his Jagan as a guide." We agreed to the terms, and we ventured off a ways before splitting up. But not without a warning reminder first.

"Don't forget;" the redhead advised us. "They used those thermal scanners to discover our location. In this rain it will be easy to find us."

"Gotcha," I remarked. "We'll see you guys later. Don't trip in the mud, Kuwabara!"

"Likewise, Urameshi!" he smiled back, checking a thumb into the air. And then we parted, darting off into different directions. Hiei took us through the straight path, and we ran fast, splashing mud all over our ankles and calves. The forest became thick, twigs were whipping in our faces, placing tiny incisions on the surfaces of our skin.

Hiei finally stopped our run behind the cover of a large boulder, conveniently placed by nature. I queried the reason for our sudden stop, and the demon told me that they were hot on our trail, and not about to give in.

"What the hell?" I murmured loudly, competing with the sounds of the storm. "We _so_ had a head start on them!"

Hiei let his head rest upon the rock then, eyes gazing up into the rain like they would cleanse them of everything he had seen that day. He sighed and remarked, "Vehicles. And more guards at the gate."

"Did you see all of this?" After all, he knew about the legion at the gate. It was the only explanation; which I found out was the right one.

"I did. We shouldn't have split up."

That set off a red flag. Normally Hiei finds a way to blame the situation on everyone else and their choices. He would have said that Kurama was stupid to divide us. I knew that Hiei was breaking slowly. The situation was inevitable.

"Why. Hiei, please tell me why you're saying this!" I shouted. From behind the water droplets that fell from his hair, he glared at me to be quiet.

"They're gone."

I blinked. Gone? _Gone?_

Panic. How could Hiei be so calm? Or was he? I don't really know, but I could tell that he was keeping _something_ inside as I shook him by the shoulders, demanding him to tell me everything.

"I don't know. They just aren't here. I cannot see them." The Jagan blinked, moving side to side before staring forward again. I dropped Hiei from my frantic fit of violence, and slammed my back into the slippery rock.

"Now what. Can't you just use your powers to knock them out again?" Yes! Of course…it worked once, so it should work again, right?

"Wrong, Yusuke. One of those artificial demons must live in the forest." His third eye blinked from water irritation. "I can't see them anymore."

"Just like that?"

"Hn. Yes."

I felt my left foot slip in the mud, and as I went to reach for balance on the boulder, Hiei's hands caught me at my waist. I'd never been held by Hiei before, but he was warm, like a living furnace.

"Think nothing of it, Yusuke," he stated. "Just focus your energy around you so that you don't die."

"Wha…" I stammered, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going to drain your body temperature." I didn't ask further. We had to avoid the thermal scanners, and under the cover of the rock we were pretty well hidden. The rain was coming down so hard that our footprints were already washing away, and because he was a fire demon through and through, such a process would be rather easy.

I felt frigid as he began to drain me, but once I was able to gauge just how _much_ energy I had to use, I was all right. He warned me, saying that the second I stopped, my body would immediately give me up by trying to keep me warm. He also said that it wouldn't work fast enough, informing me that if I did let up for just an instance, that I would get an extreme case of hypothermia.

"Sounds lovely," I stated, choking back tears from the thought of my friends' death.

"I won't be here to fix you if you fail," my ally remarked. "Just stay here, and _don't move_ until I return." I nodded, wondering just what the hell he was up to, until I figured it out. He ran off in the direction we came from, and I peeked around the corner of the boulder to watch him. It was then that a tree, something that should have been soaked to the core, burst into flames. As far as I could tell, the rain couldn't put it out, yet it didn't spread like a normal forest fire should have. It was completely controlled by Hiei's powers, and seconds later another line of trees set on fire, creating a wall of flames which could protect us from the not only the thermal scanners, but the sights of the sharpshooters.

* * *

"Of course, being the _kid_ that I am, I was so enthralled by the flames that I didn't know you were there until ya stuck the barrel of your gun into my neck."

"Hm, but according to your story you have these 'powers' that should have enabled you to sense us coming."

Yusuke looked at the man on the other side of the table, then to the interpreter, and remarked, "Yeah. But you guys seem to think that we had some sort of arsenal of grenades, or something."

"The serum isn't known to produce that type of effect. Now, tell us about what you saw in the forest surrounding the abandoned building."

"Let's see…umm…how about lots of trees and a raindrop or two." The boy fidgeted in his metal chair, placing his head into his palms like he had a headache.

"Hmm…" muttered the uniformed man in the chair. He stood and nodded at the interpreter before leaving the building.

"What the fuck did you guys do to me?" Yusuke said, attempting to stand. The handcuffs around his ankles prevented him from doing more than lift the chair from the floor.

"The officer will return in a moment, Mister Urameshi. Please sit down and be patient. Would you like a glass of water?"

The clockwork of Yusuke's brain moved into motion as he looked to the empty glass he had consumed earlier. He answered, "No. _I'm not thirsty_," before setting himself and the chair cuffed to him back down.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

In case anyone was wondering; **here's this chapter's spoiler/rundown**. Feel free to skip it if you'd like to figure it out for yourself; or leave more mystery for the next chapters.

**WARNING: Chapter 6 Mystery Spoiler Below.**

This whole time, Yusuke has actually been telling his story to an interrogator, a military officer who happened to kidnap him by tracing he and Hiei's thermal energy before it was drained. His story begins to go offtrack (The beginning of the chapter) as the truth serum starts to wear off (For example: the tangents on Daddy Long Legs and Guillotines). He ingested the serum through a glass of water provided to him by the interpreter (since earlier in the story it is implied that there are Japanese which avidly work on the base).

The fact that Yusuke was actually telling his story to someone else was implied (not only with the way in which he "recalled" things) in an earlier chapter. His lucidity faded in an out whenever his tenses changed (two versions of past tense). I'm not saying which, or how.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the twist! Don't forget to **review**!

Zelia


	7. 7

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

"We've got the impression that you're something that you're not. Anything you'd like to tell us?"

I glanced at him with distaste. Kuwabara might have been able to think of some sort of trickery, after all, he is rather whimsical. I chocked it up to eye-witness reports from men we had battle with.

"No." I watched as the interrogator relayed the message, though I knew by then that the man had heard me say "no" enough to translate it on his own. He grumbled a bit, and murmured something that, while I couldn't translate entirely, sounded as if he was going to turn to alternate methods of interrogation. He left the room with the translator and soon I was alone, or so _they_ had thought.

"Kurama," I heard him mutter from the vent above me. I dared not turn my head, for it would have most likely alerted my captors to Hiei's presence. They had been keeping a close eye on me with the security cameras in each corner. Of course this would be a disadvantage had the power gone out. Since it was a military establishment, using a one-way window would be too dangerous. Their prisoners would _need_ the solid concrete.

Within a few seconds, Hiei was no longer with me. I heard the sound of soft marbles hitting the floor behind me, and realized that my partner was truly brilliant. I had been entirely stripped of my pockets, and thus had been left with nothing but my fists to defend myself. But Hiei had left me with the gift of escape, and it was time to follow through with it.

Four men returned to the room at this time, two of them more heavily armed than my interrogators. The armed men moved toward my restraints, and the translator explained that I was being moved to another location. For that, the men had to release my limbs from the cuffs holding them to the chair. It was my chance. I allowed the seeds, whatever they were, to blossom and loom behind the men, who were too engrossed in making the quick move to notice the faces of my interrogators. I smirked and leapt forward, doing a handspring off of the table, barely missing the large chance of being encased within the floral growth myself. It wasn't long before the remaining two found themselves buried beneath the leaves.

I had expected an alarm to go off, however, it did not. It was then that I noticed the lens of the cameras were deformed and dripping like plastic icicles. I was still locked within the room, though, and there were no keys for this door, only electronics. I remained stationary along the wall near the door, and contemplated my routes of escape. The vent was easy, but there was no telling where it would lead to. I didn't want to hand over anyone's location, because if _we_ could travel the vents, then most certainly the men could predict where we would exit.

After a moment of thought, a red light flashed on the security panel, and the door buzzed. I pressed myself flat against the wall and waited.

"We've got technical issues," a man said, head lowered, "and I wanted to make sure everything was...wha?" He caught sight of the situation and no later was he assaulted and brought to the floor. Carelessly he had neglected to put his key card away, so after obtaining a leaf-sprout, I also pocketed the card, under the assumption, of course, that security would have an all-access pass to the base.

Before making my exit into the hallway, I kept myself in deep thought. I knew that the security room would have to be nearby, judging by the short amount of time that had passed between Hiei's visit and the technician's. I could easily make a short stop and use the monitors to my advantage. I had settled upon it, I would find the security room, and study the movements of our captors.

Despite that cameras were on me the whole time, the security room wasn't far, just as I had anticipated. I made quick work of the remaining two officers, right before one had pressed a button that most certainly would have set off an alarm to my presence in the hall, and left them unconscious and tied among leaves in a corner.

The monitors were flashing through several different angles, all set on about a four second interval. Finding Kuwabara was easy, although I was infuriated at the sight. He was sobbing inside, I knew, yet still remained silent as a tough man beat him. It was nearly too much for me, but I kept watching, thinking that only Kuwabara had been kidnapped. It was until I saw what I knew was an image of Yusuke flip by through my peripherals that I questioned my way of thinking. Hiei had been in the vents, so that meant he knew we were missing. It also meant that Hiei had not been captured...but what had become of Yusuke? I double checked the other monitor, only to see Yusuke talking in a dazed state. Thankfully, they weren't being so violent. I would need to reach both of them.

* * *

The interpreter was getting impatient. I wouldn't drink the water, and his little buddy hadn't come back yet. In fact, I'd say that the guy was getting worried. Hell, I'd be worried if they forgot to catch Hiei too. After about five minutes, the guy did a double take at my bindings, and left the room. At first I was kinda pissed; I enjoyed watching him squirm. But then after a while, I felt that good old smirk creep across my face, and I knew that somehow, somewhere, Hiei was causing trouble.

I checked the strength of cuffs on my feet. Nothing too difficult to break. My hands were free; and judging by what I probably told them, it was pretty dumb of them to let _that_ happen. Of course, I thought about what would happen if I blasted my foot off. As I finally got up the nerve to just go ahead and try it, footless or not, I heard an electronic beep at the door and immediately acted as if I wasn't doing anything. And I was _damn_ happy to see who I saw.

"Kurama!" I exclaimed quickly. He brought up a finger to his lips to shush me, and then moved next to me to inspect my ankles. I was just so relieved to see that he was alive at that point.

"Yusuke, we must be quiet. I'd rather not alert them to our location," he warned.

"Ah," I deduced, "so that's why those guys never came back to get me."

"Exactly," he replied. As bone-breaking flora broke the links between my ankle cuff and the chair, I looked to the cameras in the corners with fear. I had wondered, wouldn't they see us in here anyway? Kurama quickly caught on, and explained, "I was in the Security Room already. The equipment has been destroyed."

I nodded with approval. It was good to have a guy like this on my side. But I had to know.

"What happened to you guys? Where's Kuwabara?"

Kurama sighed heavily as he helped me to my feet. "We walked right into a trap. Kuwabara's sixth sense must have been dulled." I watched as a tear formed in the corners of his eyes. Crying? He had done so over his mother, I know. I had seen the weariness in his face the second time I had met him.

"Kurama?" I had muttered. We made our way to the door and then to the next room, or the observation room, I guess, when he answered.

"They're beating him. They must know he's only human, and are taking advantage of that."

"They didn't beat me," I quickly retorted. "I'm human too. What the hell is their problem?" I was angry. More than angry. Furious. Kuwabara was a tough guy though, but he'd been through just as much as the rest of us. He was taking that beating for us. _For me_. I wished that for once I wasn't the leader, that I could repay everyone for protecting _me_ all the time.

"They knew you were the leader," Kurama replied, confirming my angst, "and I can only bet that somehow they got you to reveal what we were..." I thought of the water and cringed. Some leader I was; I was easily suckered into telling them everything.

I had no time to reflect, though. Kurama touched me lightly on the shoulder and nodded, and suddenly I was following his lead through the hallways. After turning a corner, I started smelling what I can only describe as burning metal. Kinda gross, really.

"Hiei..." I murmured. Kurama nodded in agreement, and without warning, turned heel about ninety degrees and used a key card to get into a door.

The guy inside made some sort of surprise remark in English before I knocked him out. Kurama then went to the next door, and after a bit of yelling from the other side, I finally heard Kuwabara's voice.

"Kuwabara!" I burst into the door, knocked some guy in the face, and then he shouted my name too. I snickered as I continued the brawl in the tiny room, all the while making sure that none of the guys got in Kurama's way of freeing Kuwabara. It wasn't as easy as I had thought, but thankfully after what seemed like only a few seconds, my friends had joined in. It wasn't long before the bad guys were entangled in vines.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara said, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth. "Where did you come from? Where's Hiei?"

"I dunno," I replied. "He started the forest on fire and I was captured."

"So he's still out there?"

"Yes, Kuwabara," Kurama answered. "He's the reason I was able to escape...and find you all."

What was he up to? Was he looking for the rest of us, or was he trying to create the biggest diversion ever? Or even worse?

"We gotta find him!" my friend exclaimed, something I didn't think he would ever say. We all nodded, and made our way into the corridors once more.

We got cocky, now that we were all nearly reassembled, save Hiei, and carried on conversation like stealth no longer mattered. Kurama explained where he had been already, and mentioned seeing an exit. We ran and ran, and it came up that we would have no idea where we would be once outside of the building. We already knew that we weren't in that bizarre and haunted complex, but we must have been close. Both Kurama and Kuwabara couldn't place their finger on the time it had taken them to get from the forest to the building, and I simply wasn't paying attention. I probably went into shock from Hiei's little trick, which would explain it. Had I listened, I might have been able to escape that guy.

Before I knew it, my inner thinking caused me to stumble like a drunken bum off the streets, and fall face forward. I always knew that there was a reason I never stopped to think about my actions; it was a major weakness. Time seemed to slow down exponentially as Kuwabara reached to bring me to my feet. The mechanics of guns sounded like thunder, and when time finally sped up, Kuwabara and I had stepped into the hands of the enemy, with our heads pressed deeply into the barrels of cold metal arms.

Kurama was frantic. His eyes were broken and wide, and his stance was that of a mother in despair. I couldn't see anything else, but I knew that we were outnumbered. A man on my side was in charge of the gun, and a separate man was holding me at the chest. I could only assume the same for Kuwabara. It was a smart move on their part. Had it been just one guy holding us back, that would have put them at a disadvantage, leaving them with but one arm to do everything. And against unarmed opponents, there was no risk of the open men on the flanks getting hurt.

A man came from behind Kurama, and gave out fast and strict orders in their native language that I could not even begin to recall my movie knowledge to figure out. Kurama's eyes narrowed in anger, an anger that I didn't even know _existed_ inside. It was something Hiei had only mentioned Kurama was capable of, and even then I didn't think Hiei even knew much more beyond the tales that spread in the Demon World.

"They're gonna kill us," was all Kuwabara said as Kurama's hands shot forward. The seeds didn't even have a chance to take root in the ground before they sprouted into rock-hard stalks that pierced straight through the gunmen. Probably out of sheer disbelief, the men loosened their grip on us, and in unison, Kuwabara and I smacked their jaws with our elbows, hitting a pressure point and forcing them to stagger backwards.

But these guys musta been running on batteries, because they just wouldn't go down. Kuwabara and I fought on, and after letting forth a bit of our auras, we were able to get them knocked down. I turned around to check on Kurama, hearing Kuwabara mutter about how the gunmen were dead, only to see that the fifth man was on the floor as well.

He had been slain by Hiei, who was cleaning his knife on his clothing. Kurama was breathing hard, staring down in shock at what he had done, complimenting Hiei, who didn't seem to care one bit.

"G-guys," Kuwabara stammered, breaking the silence. "We sh-should...g-go."

"Hn," Hiei stated bluntly, staring at our shocked companions. "Koenma said it was fine. Go ahead and stay here if you want to do this over and over again."

"Damn it, shrimpy! Shut up!" shouted Kuwabara. "These guys just died!"

"I'm sorry, everyone..." Kurama whispered in vain.

"Feh," Hiei scoffed. "What are you sorry for? Saving your comrades from death? Idiot."

"Hiei!" Kurama shouted.

I had to step in, once again, and teach these kids a lesson in _escaping_.

"Hiei's right, even if he is being a jerk about it," I yelled. "Now let's get our asses in gear and we can cry about it later over a chick-flick and chocolate, got it?" The redheads hung their heads low, and just stared forward. I had to perk them all up, after all, that's what a leader, no matter how much of a dumbass he is, does, right?

"I don't wanna stay here, guys. We gotta get back home. We gotta tell Koenma what happened to all the other guys who came here. We gotta talk about that monster roaming the base." Nothing happened, I had to switch gears. "We gotta see our families."

We burst out of the exit and into a mud slosh. The weather hadn't given up yet, and neither would we. We linked hands, Hiei's to mine, mine to Kurama's, and Kurama's to Kuwabara's, and ran fast through the forest, following Hiei's lead. All sorts of mud and twigs were kicked up and sticking to our hair and faces, but it didn't matter anymore. After running a couple hundred meters into the trees, I began to smell the smoldering scent of pine and wood.

"Ignore it!" Hiei shouted, "It's controlled."

"Do ya guys hear that?" Kuwabara called from the back, bringing our attention to the shouts of men and the shrill shrieking of a creature we had left back at the complex.

The demons' grips became harder on us as our feet increased their tempo across the forest floor. Gunfire and rain blended together into one harsh pitter-patter that kept us going. Whether or not the bullets were aimed at us or the beast, we didn't know. We didn't care. We just moved forward, ignoring our obvious fatigue and hardships, putting all of our trust into Hiei and hoping that we wouldn't be faced with more terrible decisions.

The sounds of violence became quieter as the storm raged on. We collectively came to a halt upon recognition of the gate we came through. Its lock was still broken and it seemed as if no one had been there since we had been. After stepping through, we took a moment to collect ourselves and reassess our situation. Kurama took the time to work his powers and relock the gates with rock-hard vines.

Kuwabara wiped his brow. "What now?" he asked.

"Hn," answered Hiei. "Since the Detective was smart enough to have everyone hand me their communicators, I was able to contact Koenma. He was supposed to have sent for us in the exact place we had been left."

"Right," I nodded, stretching one last time before joining my comrades in their walk towards our rendezvous. It seemed like we had made it there in no time, and our safety was nearly a one-hundred percent guarantee.

I leaned on a tree to relax and reflect, only to be reminded by Kurama that it wasn't safe to do in a thunderstorm. I shrugged and sighed, thinking that after all I'd been through, a little lightning wasn't going to do me in. After all, long ago the beast Suzaku had tried doing the very same thing.

Hiei was staring at me intently, and I stared back. The ghost in the archives had made mention of his feelings for me, and I was wondering why I hadn't noticed it any earlier. I figured that he might have eventually stared away, but he didn't, and inside that sparked something that scared me. I realized that I was a real person, someone that other people would continuously care for, and someone that could change even the most hardened of individuals. Just like my funeral. I didn't deserve these people around me.

"Spirit Detectives," a male voice said, diverting our attention upwards. It was Jack, the very same guide who had come here with us.

"Finally," Kuwabara complained, receiving a concurring nod from Hiei.

"Hmm, indeed," the guide said. I was surprised at how arrogant he was, and wondered if Koenma just enjoyed surrounding himself with those sorts of people.

"Where's Botan?" I asked in unison with a flash of lightning.

Jack grumbled. "She waiting for the four of you with Koenma."

"How're we all gonna fit on that little stick?!" exclaimed Kuwabara, pointing to the oar that Jack was hovering upon. The guide frowned, producing another oar from his left hand, and left it up to us to figure out who was sitting where.

And once we did, we were zipped off to Spirit World in a flash. Once there, we weren't even greeted by Botan or anyone even recognizable. A few ogres immediately took us to hotel-type rooms, and informed us that we were to clean up before our meetings. Granted, the whole royal treatment was rather nice, even if said treatment made us feel like our foreign caravan had just been captured by the king of the lands we had invaded. Kuwabara said it best before we parted to our separate quarters.

"Kinda feels like we're under house arrest." I looked at him, annoyed because I wanted to coerce myself into believing that it was all over. From the looks I got from my other comrades, though, I knew it wasn't.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

I have to say, I didn't enjoy this chapter one bit. The second-to-last chapters are always difficult for me, because I know that I have to end the story soon, and that I need to set the end up.

There was a lack of Yusuke's inner reflections, and I couldn't really find a way to fit them in there without being redundant.

As for a massive spoiler for the first 6 chapters...

As we know, most of the story has been told through Yusuke's point of view, and it was mainly to the interrogator that had captured him at the end of Chapter 6. Earlier on, there is a weird spot where another person is talking (when the boys split up between the archive and the lab). That is Kuwabara's perspective right there. So it was a hint that the boys were being questioned.

Now, with the advent of events in this chapter, it only has to make you wonder - what's the final twist to this story and who are the boys speaking to now? And just who was Kuwabara talking to if Kurama claimed that he was being beaten?

All are things to think about.

-Zelia


	8. 8

**Disclaimer:** _Yu Yu Hakusho_ © Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

**The Seibu Project**

By Zelia Theb; © Zelia Theb.

Of course, these little events weren't exactly 'meetings' so much as more interrogations. This time, pertaining more to what we had seen and collected evidence on. Jack had called it a 'debriefing', but the look in his eyes was less than sincere or even professional.

I found out later, after the four us reconvened in my room just what was going on.

Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara knocked on my door, and I let them in easily. I was the last to be debriefed, so naturally it seemed as though they would gravitate to each other while I was missing. It wasn't as if we could visit anyone. Hell, I hadn't even seen Koenma or Botan yet, but Jack had said that we were supposed to be meeting them.

Kuwabara walked in first, his head somewhat down to hide his facial expressions, and definitely more than paranoid. Kurama and Hiei entered last, and Kurama quickly secured the door behind him, looking about my room before saying a word to me. They searched every crevice, every shadow, every container…Hiei was the most adept at this due to his dexterity and speed. Upon finding nothing, Hiei let out a chuckle that I only hear when he realizes just how stupid someone is, and the two demons came to join Kuwabara and I around a table in my room.

"Detective," Hiei started, reaching into his temporary clothing. "We found something you _might_ want to know about."

My eyebrows perked up with interest. Of course I wanted to know what had gone on. But what could they have found under this house arrest? We were barred from even visiting outside of the wing we had been confined to.

"What _kind_ of something?" I questioned with a knowing inflection. After all, it _was_ Hiei, and he and Kurama have broken into the palace before.

"Hn," Hiei smiled, pulling out that folder we had obtained back in the archive at the base. "Something that Kurama found inside of here, Yusuke."

"Wait," I prompted him, "didn't they take everything from you when we got here?"

"Feh," Hiei laughed, "I'm not that stupid." And with that he pulled out our communicators and left them on the table. I stared at them before reaching for one and picking it up. Kuwabara put a hand over mine and shook his head as a warning not to flip it open.

"We did some diggin' Urameshi. I distracted the guards while Hiei and Kurama did a lil' research in the archives here."

"Don't tell me…Koenma?" I prepared myself for the worst, that my own boss had somehow set me up, but I couldn't yet figure out a reason why.

Kurama shook his head immediately. "No, Yusuke," he assured me. "Koenma doesn't even know that we're _here_."

"What?" I shouted, only to be calmed down by Kuwabara. "Is that asshole too busy to even realize that a crap load of shit is going down right beneath his very nose?"

"Amusing analogy, Yusuke, but Koenma is purposely being strung along so that _he_…" Hiei opened the file and pointed to a photo inside. "…Can get his way." The photo was unmistakable, it was Jack. And despite not being able to read English all that well, I damn well knew what it was, an employee profile.

Kurama soon explained to me the exact nature of the file, and what he found out in the archives. "Life and death dates, Yusuke. He was an employee and worked on the secret government project in the base. Jack had become a Spirit Guide during a time when Koenma was otherwise occupied…and immediately transferred his allegiance back over to the living."

"Wait, what? I don't understand." After all, what purpose would it serve? Betray an almighty being for what?

"Urameshi, even I can see it. It was part of their little experiment, to test the bounds of the planes of existence, and whatever. And that Jack guy found proof and had to say something." I looked at Kuwabara, who had just been my lighthouse in this abandoned-at-sea business.

"We found proof of his treason, Yusuke," Hiei continued. "And furthermore, there is evidence in those archives that he _thought_ he could keep hidden from Koenma about his true intent. Files he thought he could hide in clever spaces. Of course he has _no idea_ what Kurama and I are capable of, the fool."

"So, what is he trying to hide?" I asked them. "Is it the fact that he worked on the base, was responsible for things that happened there? What?"

"Unfortunately for _Jack_," Hiei explained. "He willfully committed suicide in order to prove this little theory."

"And that, Yusuke," Kurama finished, "is against Spirit World law. One cannot become a Spirit Guide if they willfully ended their own life." I was shocked, and yet, more questions began appearing in my head. How had Botan died? Was she ever a human to begin with? I was brought back into reality again, after having my hand smacked by Kuwabara, since I had absent mindedly began fuddling with a communicator again.

"Kurama checked those out, Detective. Seems as though the transmissions were being re-routed before they went to Spirit World."

"So this jerk's been playin' us and Koenma the whole time?" I remarked rather loudly, slamming a fist onto the table. "That bastard!"

"Indeed, Yusuke, so while the terror is over we still need to get out of here and inform Koenma."

I nodded in agreement with Hiei, as did the others. Pumping a fist into the air, I asked, "So, are ya guys all powered up, or what?" They smiled affirmatively, and made our preparations to reach Koenma's office. While Kuwabara and Kurama reviewed their own parts of the plan together, Hiei took me aside and let me in on the rest of the details.

I was rather surprised at his sudden articulate nature, but let him go on without a joke nonetheless. He told me that during their initial experiments, the team had discovered that there was a way to usher spirits into the afterlife. Their studies evolved then, from simple creature manifestation to time vortexes, and then planar travel. They couldn't succeed though, until they discovered that paranormal investigators were infiltrating their supposed secret base, and then began to use them as bait. When one of the psychics got a vision of another plane, that sent the institution into a frenzy, and suddenly Jack decided that he would visit this place and prove its existence.

Of course, the flaw in Jack's plan was that he didn't realize that everyone had a file somewhere. So he hid his file, even altered it, and made it possible to become a Spirit Guide. That way he could pretend that there was something wrong at the base, like no one was able to bring the spirits of the dead over. Even the base's own grunts didn't know about this project, which explained some of the malevolent apparitions we had encountered.

How he managed to break into his own file or even re-route the communicators was something I wasn't quite aware of. I can see it not being too difficult with Koenma being off-guard at the time, but still. I really don't know. But it seems like Jack sabotaged us from the very beginning, only he underestimated us, and was now trying to keep us quiet. Hiei seemed to think that due to Jack's idiocy, that in filtering our communications he might have missed something and maybe Koenma might have an idea of what's going on. Either way, Hiei said he spoke to Koenma directly, so at least he'd be expecting us.

Or so I mentioned to Hiei, only to have him counteract with, "Of course, but if a two-faced guide was responsible for hiding souls to begin with and blaming it on 'unknown circumstances,' who's to say that he didn't tell Koenma he could find no trace of our deceased bodies?"

Kurama and Kuwabara finished their review, and joined back in the conversation. "Yeah, who's to say, Urameshi," the tallest of the two said, "that he didn't just usher another bad guy back and that bad guy happens to be someone who handles the list that comes in to Koenma's desk?" He shrugged and adjusted his clothing. "I'm just sayin', is all."

Now that made sense to me. Which brought up another concern, so I had to step in and play leader again.

"Well, guys, we can't go busting into that ogre office thingy right away anymore. Gotta go incognito all the way." I mused to myself, placing my hand on my chin and wondering what my next words would be. I finally burst out with, "By the way, who knows their way around this place anyhow?"

"Kurama and I know certain sections very well, Yusuke, as you already know," Hiei told me.

Kurama then followed up with, "However, I procured a map in case we lose ourselves. That archive isn't as guarded as it should be."

"Right," I nodded. "So you two should lead the way. Ya think anyone would notice any spikes in energy?" Kurama shook his head 'yes,' so no doubt we would just have to be sneaky. But again, Kuwabara, being as brilliant as he was during this whole escapade, said something extraordinary.

"We only really gotta be careful 'till we're out of here, right?" he proposed. "'Cause what I guess I mean is, we only gotta get by the guys that are really workin' for Jack. S'pose that we did get caught or something, as long as we were in an area where Koenma would be aware of it, then he can just bust us out, right?"

"Good point, Kuwabara, but you fail to realize one thing," Hiei pointed out to him. "Our little adventure could be more rigged than you think. Who knows how _deep_ this corruption goes."

"Yes, Hiei's right, Kuwabara," interjected Kurama. "We know nothing of the reasons that the people of this base desired contact with Spirit World. If their efforts were malevolent, and we can already judge that they must be, then perhaps they want to use the apparitions of this realm as soldiers, or something else similar. We must use caution the entire way."

Personally, I wanted to bust through the place and cause the loudest, most attention grabbing raucous I could. Who cared if some traitor baddies got caught up in it? Kuwabara was right, mostly. There was _no way_ that Koenma wouldn't know we were here then…right?

"Yusuke," Hiei scolded me, reading my thoughts through knowing my personality, "don't even think about it. As much as I would love to slay those who dare oppose us, I am not in the mood to spend the rest of my lifetime in your city."

And that was the convincing point, right there. Kurama and Hiei had much more at stake in this case, their freedom. Can't screw around with Spirit World, because what Enma says goes, and his son isn't always gonna be able to bail everyone out. So we finally agreed to playing it stealth, and soon we were on our way through the palace, having used an unusual passageway that Kurama had found on the archived map.

It was rather ingenious, actually. Our wing was shaped like an 'L,' and a pair of guards were positioned at each end of the wing, but they were mostly there to protect against unauthorized entry. Two guards patrolled each length, meeting up every few minutes at the right angle joint before coming back to the other end.

Our destination was a passageway almost directly across from my room, and next to Hiei's door. Before leaving my room, Hiei took with him a pebble sized chunk of wood from the table, to use as a distraction. I went to the door with him, hanging out of it as I pretended to bid him farewell, hiding the others behind him. Luckily for Hiei, the guard knew we were there, but was already nearing the corner, so he would not have to fake a long good-bye just to wait for the guard to walk by him.

Our next move was simple. I shut the door for a sound effect, and then opened it very slightly, so that it looked like it was still shut. Hiei walked over to his door, and placed his hand on the handle. The guard spotted him, naturally thinking that Hiei was just returning to his own room, and that was when Hiei, faster than the guard could react, flicked the debris into the corner. It bounced off of the wall and fell to the floor, catching the guard's attention. He rushed to the corner, as did his colleague, and that's when Hiei pushed in a section of the wall, sliding the wall over and revealing our passageway out. The three of us quickly moved from my room to the passageway, and we waited for Hiei.

We could hear the two guards discussing what could have happened, and they seemed to chalk it up to the building falling apart. We were running out of time, but Hiei finished the job. He closed _my_ door, creating the illusion that it was actually his door that had just shut, and then rushed into the passageway, sliding the door quietly behind us. Had any of us tried to do the feat, we might have been caught, so Hiei's speed was essentially a life saver for us.

Without the guiding light from our wing, the passageway was _dark_. Pitch black. I think the base was even brighter than this at times. Just as we did when fleeing, our hands came together, with Kurama at the lead, Kuwabara, Hiei, and then myself last, and we felt our way nervously through the narrow passage.

I ran into Hiei as the three of them stopped suddenly. Kuwabara was the one to halt us, and whispered ever-so quietly, "I think I heard something, guys."

And then, shocking all of us out of our skin, we heard a voice that belonged to no one in our core group of escapees.

"You absolutely did hear something, Kazuma Kuwabara."

* * *

"And that voice you heard belonged to Sir Koenma?"

Yusuke nodded at the blue-skinned assistant. "Yep. Saved us a lot of trouble. I guess he was on his way to the wing to greet the prisoners."

Jorge appeared shocked, and asked, "What? So you guys were prisoners all along?"

Yusuke looked irritated. "Yeah, that's what I said and kept implying the whole time. But Koenma didn't know that the prisoners were _us_. And he found us in his secret passageway. Not sure how he got around in the dark like that."

The ogre scratched his head. "Yeah, I'm not sure how he does it either!"

A fist was slammed down on the desk. The detective was growing bored. "Look, I know that you guys still gotta talk to us all separately about Jack and all that, but I'm kinda sick of being interrogated left and right. Can we go home now?"

Jorge motioned a positive response with his head, and pressed 'stop' on the tape recorder placed on the desk. "There, Mister Urameshi. You guys should be all set. Botan should be outside the room with your team."

"Yeah, thanks."

However, once Yusuke exited the office, he found only Hiei sitting on the padded executive bench, and Botan looking out into the chaotic main lobby of apparitions, waiting to wave over Kurama and Kuwabara.

"So," began Yusuke, plopping into the bench with his hands behind his head. "Where is everyone?"

"They're almost done, Yusuke," said the patient cerulean locked assistant. "Then the four of you can go home."

"Hn," Hiei grunted. "If you consider _that_ my home." Botan merely apologized quickly, realizing that she would need to watch her words around Hiei.

"Well," said Yusuke, sliding next to Hiei, "either way, you can stop by or whatever."

"Maybe," was the curt response.

The teen bent over and gazed into Hiei's still eyes. He flashed the demon a charming smile, and remarked, "You still have somethin' to tell me."

A slight chuckle escaped Hiei's throat as he closed his eyes in remembrance of the mission. He replied, "You're right, Yusuke."

_The End_

* * *

**Author's Note**

A big thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I'm excited to finally have finished this work, and while it didn't end as intended, I'm still pleased with how it turned out.

For those who want to know, the original ending was going to place more of a shounen-ai theme on the work. However…it wasn't a romance fic. It was the wrong direction for this work, but I've found another one where Seibu's original ending would work well with (My fic Psychosis).

I hope everyone liked it! Please review, it is the final chapter, you know!

-Zelia


End file.
